A Chance For a New Dawn
by LostCipher999
Summary: Bernadetta's entire world is shattered when she is faced with a sudden tragedy in the battle for the Dawn of Fódlan. In a bizarre reversal of the tides of destiny, a freak accident ends up throwing her over five years back in time to a point where all was still at peace. *Expect spoilers for... pretty much every route at some point.* *Update: New Revision to the Prologue Chapter*
1. Prologue: Prelude to Disaster

The dwindling rays of the twilight sun shone dimly upon Garreg Mach Monastery as Bernadetta fondly cradled the ornate silver ring around her finger, her go-to method of alleviating her ever present anxiety as she restlessly wandered the scarcely occupied grounds of the academy. A small pang of guilt arose from within the violet haired girl at the sight of her surroundings, which still bore the scars of the Imperial attack from over five years ago; the very Empire she deserted in favor of the ragtag Leicester Alliance that stood in the former's fiery path of conquest.

Though in all truthfulness, there was a certain aspect of the academy that swayed the young woman's decision to side against the land she once called home above all else. Delicately raising her treasured ring to her lips to ease her rising tensions, Bernadetta continued to scour every last inch of the run down academy until she finally came upon the small graveyard in the northeast corner, where a solitary figure silently stood before the furthest tombstone in the field.

She probably should have expected to find the teal haired man she once called her professor lingering here in hindsight, yet whatever relief Bernadetta felt from finally tracking him down was quickly replaced by a feeling of unforeseen dread as for the briefest of moments, a strange spectral figure seemed to take his place altogether, looking down on the same tomb with an elegant bouquet of flowers in its hands.

_"What in the... don't tell me Claude was actually right when he said this graveyard was haunted...!" _Bernadetta thought to herself, letting out a surprised gasp as she hurriedly rushed down the stairs in a panic.

Stranger still, the moment she set off into the secluded field, the sound of her footsteps immediately drew the specter's attention, yet as the mysterious figure turned to face the loudly approaching footsteps, it disappeared from sight as it had never been there to begin with, leaving only a surprised Byleth in its wake.

"Ah, Bernie... I apologize for leaving you on your own on such short notice. I didn't wish to wake you at this time." Byleth calmly greeted as the shorter woman's eyes rapidly darted across the graveyard in search of the vanished apparition she had just laid eyes on. "Is something the matter? You look like you just saw a ghost or something of the sort."

"Y- yeah! You mean you didn't notice that phantom standing right in-" Bernadetta frantically questioned, only to quickly backpedal on her claims upon noticing the concerned expression forming across her companion's face. "You know what, forget I said anything... I think I might just be seeing things."

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Bernie? If you need more rest, please don't hesitate to-"

"N- no, I mean yes- I... I swear I'm totally fine!" Bernadetta hastily stumbled over her response in an effort to reassure her former professor's worries, only to be met with a troubled sigh in return.

"You've been acting up more than usual ever since we invaded that bizarre underground stronghold... Shambhala, was it?" Byleth mused aloud, bringing a gloved hand to his chin in deep thought. "You really seemed to take a shine to that place... ironic, given the absence of natural light in the facility, but I digress."

"Well, yeah..." Bernadetta sheepishly admitted. "That whole city was like a recluse's paradise, you know? All safe and isolated from the rest of the world... I mean, I know the awful people there have been trying to kill us all for the longest time, but still..."

"We could always return there if you'd like." the ex mercenary was quick to offer, a warm smile forming across his face at the sight of his companion's visible elation. "We may even discover something new about our unknown enemies along the way."

"Somehow I doubt we'll learn anything from a smoldering pile of rubble at this point..." Bernadetta quietly pointed out, her head drooping down in disappointment as her gaze turned to the single tombstone lying before the pair: the grave of Jeralt and Sitri Eisner, the father and mother of the teal haired man she cherished so dearly, and the previous owners of the silver ring she proudly wore upon her finger.

"So, uh... hi, Captain." the reclusive archer awkwardly greeted the silent tombstone, ever so desperate to change the topic at hand. "I'm sorry I didn't bring any flowers for you this time, but I hope you're doing well..."

"That's quite alright, Bernie. I'm sure Jeralt appreciates your thoughtfulness more than anything. He and my mother are surely looking down on us fondly..." Byleth calmly reassured, staring fondly upon the jewel encrusted ring that his fiance had given him in turn. Out of the corner of his eye, however, the swordsman was quick to pick up on Bernadetta's involuntary shivering as her gaze lingered upon his parent's grave. "You know it's not healthy to keep your troubles bottled up inside, right? I'm just as willing to shoulder your burdens alongside you as I always have."

"Well, I've just been thinking..." Bernadetta muttered to herself, still reluctant to share the disturbing premonitions her mind had been plaguing her with. "Maybe you should skip out on the upcoming battle with this Nemesis guy... I'm sure Claude and the others can handle him on their own, don't you think?"

"You know I can't do that." Byleth unhesitantly rejected the younger girl's proposition with a firm shake of his head. "I have a responsibility to ensure the safety of every member of this army, especially at a time like this."

"N- no, you don't understand...!" the violet haired archer raised her voice in apprehension. Though she could not bring herself to say it out loud, Bernadetta had always dreaded the fateful incident that had separated Byleth from her when the Empire launched its attack on Garreg Mach. Rather than return to her homeland and be branded a traitor the moment she set foot on Imperial soil, the reclusive Varley threw herself headlong into a tiresome search for her dear professor's whereabouts for five long years... suffice to say, the thought of losing the man she loved again was far too much to bear. "I just have this uncanny feeling that something _terrible_ will happen if you go out to fight Nemesis."

"So I see... you seem to believe this premonition of yours wholeheartedly. I won't force you to participate in the upcoming battle if you don't wish to-"

"Wha- no, that's not what I meant...! I don't want you to leave me alone either!" Bernadetta hurriedly protested, reaching out to take her partner's ringed hand in her own.

"I know. I promised you as much myself... Tell me, have you given any thought to what you wanted to do once the war ends?"

"Er, what's this about all of a sudden?"

"Go on, humor me."

"Well, uh... honestly, I have no idea what I want to with myself now..." Bernadetta hesitantly admitted, hanging her head down in shame as her companion gently ran a hand across her thick head of lavender hair to comfort her. "All I really want is for us to take a nice, long, _permanent_ break from... everything once this is all over. Maybe even have a proper ceremony for ourselves if we can find the time..."

"That does sound rather lovely, but I'm afraid we'll still have much work to do even after the fighting has come to an end."

"Come on, really...? Aren't you tired of all this hardship too?" the shorter girl looked up into her professor's eyes with a dismayed expression.

"I won't deny as much. I'm well aware of how much you want eternal peace and quiet, but we're going to have to actively maintain that peace if we want it to last... Do you still remember the promise you made to me the night we proposed?"

"Sure I do... but I dunno, it just sounds so silly looking back on it." Bernadetta quietly muttered, turning her gaze away in a fit of embarrassment. "We'll make a _perfect world_ for the two of us? I don't even know what that's supposed to pertain. I swear I must have gotten too caught up in the moment. That's a lot easier said than done..."

"I don't think that dream is impossible at all. I have faith that we can accomplish this lofty task if we give it our all."

"I think you're giving me too much credit here..."

"Nothing you say will ever stop me from believing in you, Bernie. I only ask that you do the same for me as well, even for all of my faults."

"All your faults? Are you sure you're not confusing yourself for me, By?" The uneasy recluse couldn't help but crack a smile at her lover's words of encouragement, even as she casually insulted herself in the process.

"I always mean what I say, and you're the greatest light of my life. If it were up to me, I'd make it so that you and all those I care about would never have to suffer needlessly again."

"And if it were up to me, I'd tie you up to the bed and never let you go again..." Bernadetta half jokingly suggested, which prompted an amused smirk from her fiance in turn.

"That does sound like a rather pleasant arrangement, now that you mention it."

"Wha- hey, hey, wait minute! You're not supposed to agree with that so casually!" the now flustered archer could feel her face flaring up as Byleth boldly leaned in with an amused smile spread across his lips.

"Oh? I was under the impression you enjoyed these sorts of practices. You'd have free reign to do whatever you want with me again."

"Well, I mean, ah... ha ha..." Bernadetta found herself unable to form a coherent response, instead opting to return her lover's affectionate gesture with a desirous embrace of her own.

"You know you have your own room to engage in your celebratory lovemaking, right?" a familiar voice suddenly called out from atop the cemetery stairs, prompting the now self conscious Bernadetta to abort her attempted kiss before she could even make contact with her partner. "And uh, quick word of advice? You _might_ wanna try locking your door this time."

"Agh, er, Claude...! How long were you-"

"Not long enough to learn anything of implicating value, I assure you." the voice of Seteth chimed in from behind, his left arm firmly wrapped in a cast as a result the previous battle he took part in while he followed the Golden Deer leader down the stairs. "After all, it is unbecoming of a gentleman to intrude upon the private affairs of others, right Claude?"

"Seteth, please. Let's not start throwing around baseless accusations now." the Alliance leader casually deflected his subordinate's claims. "So, Teach-"

"Let me guess, the long arm of the Alliance council is calling for my head once again?" Byleth was quick to cut in, barely managing to mask the look of weariness forming across his face.

"Well, I'm looking forward to this meeting about as much as you are." Claude admitted with a defeated shrug. "Even with the revived King of Liberation knocking at our doorsteps, we can't so much as move a finger without those stuffy nobles breathing down our necks."

"I suppose I should have expected as much. If that's the case..."

"Ah...!" Bernadetta yelped in surprise as her lover deftly swooped in to deliver a peck to her lips before she could even react.

"Duty calls once again. I'll return to you when I can, alright?"

"Chin up, Bernie; we've all got a bright future waiting for us that the end of this tunnel. And just for you, I'll try not to let the council manhandle your hubby for too long. After all, that'll be _your_ job when you finally get your alone time together." the Alliance leader added, eliciting another embarrassed blush from the already flustered archer as the former promptly vacated the area with Byleth in tow, leaving Bernadetta and Seteth alone in the cemetery in their wake; the latter of whom seemed to be peering into the archer's eyes with an overbearing sense of wistfulness.

"Oh, I guess they didn't need you to come along, Seteth... is there something on my face right now?"

"Ah, please, don't mind me. I'm merely looking back on an old, old friend of mine..." the church official quietly brushed off the girl's question with a shake of his head. "You know, the affection you share with your husband is not unlike my experiences with my own wife."

"Oh wow, I never knew you were married, Seteth."

"Indeed I was. The two of us could never seem to get enough of each other, or so we were often told. You may also be interested to hear that the friend I mentioned was the one responsible for bringing us together in the first place... Unfortunately, both of them have already passed away, quite some time ago."

"O- oh, I'm so sorry...! I didn't mean to bring up such terrible memories-"

"No, that's quite alright." the emerald haired official was quick to reassure his colleague with a nostalgic smile. "In fact, you've done just the opposite for me. I quite enjoy looking back upon my fondest memories in the face of an uncertain future..."

"Uncertain might be underselling things a bit..." Bernadetta lightly bit down on her lip in worry. "Fódlan's undergoing this radical change as we speak, and before then, we're setting out to fight against a legendary figure that's been dead for over a thousand years... It's scary not knowing what will happen next. "

"Your fears are entirely understandable, to say the least... yet I don't believe the uncertainty of the future is necessarily a bad thing either. No soul should ever bear the burden of knowing what the crossroads of fate hold at every turn..."

"Er, what do you mean?"

"This is a sensitive topic I have been struggling with for the longest time..." Seteth muttered aloud, his eyes carefully narrowed, filled with the faintest sense of guilt as he continued to glare into his ally's deep silver eyes. "I have something to ask of you, Bernadetta. I've been deliberating over another fable as of late, and I would especially like your assistance with this entry as well."

"Oh, ah, sure, I'd be happy to help. What's this one about?"

"To be frank, I am still in the process of determining its contents myself... however, I've decided that the time is right for this tale to become known to the people, whatever the consequences."

"Wait, consequences? You're not trying to get me to commit sacrilege, are you...?"

"Well, that's certainly one way of putting it." Seteth vaguely confirmed with a soft chuckle. "I'll spare you the finer details for now; you have a future to secure for everyone, after all. You should get all the rest you can in preparation for the upcoming battle." the church official soundly concluded, leaving Bernadetta alone to ponder over the mysteries of their upcoming project as the former cradled his wounded arm on his way out of the graveyard. It was another weight on her shoulder, but the mental challenge of crafting a children's story was much preferable to the thought of battling an ancient warlord out for her blood.

* * *

"_Come on Bernie, you can do this."_ Bernadetta thought to herself, bow fully drawn and safely perched atop her steed. With a single motion, she let loose an arrow that pierced through the head of an enemy mage.

"Look! I think the poison swamp is starting to disappear! Good job, Bernie!" Hilda called out as the mage's body limply collapsed to the ground. The lavender haired archer looked over with an affirming nod in response, but was taken aback when Byleth suddenly rushed in to cut down a warrior attempting to strike her from behind.

"Er, thanks." Bernadetta clutched her heart in an effort to calm her nerves. Even after all these years of practice and fighting, the girl was still as easily spooked as ever. _"That makes… three rescues in this battle alone. At least I'm not curled up on the ground begging for mercy this time…"_

"I promised I'd never let anything happen to you, didn't I?" her former professor comforted her with a reassuring smile, turning his signature blade into a lethal whip to fend off the oncoming hoard of undead warriors looking to make mincemeat of the pair.

"Oh, I'd hug you right now if I could." Bernadetta felt her cheeks flush slightly as she turned her attention back to the battle at hand.

"We can do that later! For now, just stay close to me no matter what!"

"R- right, just like always...!"

All the while, the battle for the Dawn of Fódlan continued to rage on all around them as the other members of the Golden Deer fought with all their might against the overwhelming forces of the newly resurrected Nemesis. The Alliance's strike force of former students had spread themselves thin in their efforts to rout the Ten Elites scattered across the massive marsh. All the while, the fearsome enemy leader tightly gripped his artificial Sword of the Creator as he kept a curious eye on his counterpart's identical blade.

"Agh... that visage..." the Liberation King muttered aloud, seemingly overcome with a feeling of intense pain as his attention slowly shifted towards the mounted sniper fighting at Byleth's side. "No, I see it now... you bear _his_ countenance, but not _his_ soul... you will not be forgiven for this disgrace...!" the reanimated warrior let out a sneer of dismay, tightly gripping the handle of his blade with malicious intent as he finally set out from his original position.

"Teach, look out!" Claude warned from across the battlefield. "Nemesis is heading right for you two!"

Realizing the severity of the threat approaching them, Byleth deftly finished off the squadron of soldiers he was facing with a wide sweep of his bladed whip before rushing off to meet the opposing leader directly.

"Wai- I'm helping too!" Bernadetta quickly shouted, shifting around to fire an arrow into the air as Byleth ran past her. Smirking at the girl's attempts to harm him, Nemesis nonchalantly caught the arrow out of the air before using his other arm to block a leaping strike from Byleth.

"Are you so cowardly that you must rely on a little waif to win your battles for you?" Nemesis taunted, showing little effort in holding back his enemy's attack as he turned his gaze to look Bernadetta directly in the eye, sending a deep chill running down the archer's spine. Quickly picking up on his foe's dark intentions, Byleth broke away from their clash to create a magical explosion at the old king's feet. Before the smoke could clear, a familiar bladed whip lashed out and wrapped itself around Byleth's sword like a snake strangling a rodent.

"Wha- what do you want from me?!" Bernadetta cried out as she shot a flaming arrow into the cloud of smoke. This shot managed to hit its mark, though it quickly became apparent that Nemesis was no worse for wear when he pulled up his still active blade with enough might to throw Byleth up into the air towards him. The professor was shortly met with a brutal haymaker punch that sent his body tumbling to the ground. Bernadetta couldn't help but let out a sharp cry as she witnessed the man she loved getting the wind knocked out of his lungs. Thinking quickly, she immediately fired another arrow into the back of Nemesis's neck before he could make another move.

She immediately came to regret her decision when the old king once again craned his head towards her, sporting what could only be described as a look of pure, unadulterated malice. "I will have your head, impostor." The very sight chilled Bernadetta to the core, causing her to miss her next shot by a mile and leaving her frozen in place, mouth agape.

"You won't lay a hand on her, you monster!" Byleth roared furiously, ignoring the searing pain in his gut as he clashed blades with his adversary once more.

"Teach! Agh, dammit!" Claude cursed, too overwhelmed by the enemies surrounding him to come to the aid of his best friend. "Please hang in there as long as you can!"

"Enough Fell Star, your turn is up." Nemesis demanded whilst matching each of his opponent's swings blow for blow. Upon locking blades once more, the Liberation King broke away from the encounter by slamming his head into Byleth's skull, bringing him to his knees. "Your time will come soon enough, for the hour of my vengeance is at hand!"

Her fiancé's cry of pain was enough to snap Bernadetta out of her stupor, but before the archer could take another shot, Nemesis's blade suddenly wrapped around one of her horse's front legs and knocked the creature to the ground, sending its unfortunate rider down along with it where her head collided with a nearby boulder.

"OW! Oh… you should have known this would happen, Bernie…" the petite archer murmured to herself as the Liberation King began to make a murderous dash for her. "Did you really think you'd get a happy ending after all this time? You should have known this all too good to be true! This isn't a fairy tale!" she struggled to sit herself up, tears starting to well in her eyes as Nemesis continued to close in on her position. "What I wouldn't give to die in my room instead of some empty field… I just… I just…" Bernadetta raised her hands to her face in a vain effort to shield herself from her attacker.

**"Please, not yet... I don't want to die... I don't want to die...!"**

…

Bernadetta fearfully waited for Nemesis's blade to cleave her in two, but the fatal moment never came. Instead, she felt a warm splatter of blood across her entire body… but the blood wasn't hers. When the girl opened her eyes, the sight she witnessed simply broke her heart into a million pieces. There was Byleth, having just saved her life, with the artificial Sword of the Creator impaled through his chest and a tearful smile spread across his face.

"Finally... I'm glad… I made it in time…" her former professor calmly stated before taking his own blade and thrusting it through the same gaping hole left by Nemesis, decisively returning the favor to his opponent. With a sharp grunt of pain, the Liberation King removed his blade from Byleth's body and painfully staggered away from the wounded couple. He didn't make it far until a vengeful Claude came with a sword in hand to cleave the king's head from his shoulders. With the enemy army crumbling to dust all around them, Byleth gave Bernadetta one last smile before collapsing into the arms of his distraught fiancé.

"No… Gods, NO!" Claude shouted in despair at the sight of his friend's battered body. Her voice utterly broken, all Bernadetta could do was let out a soft whimper before the tears began to stream down her face. "Marianne! Flayn! Anyone! We need to heal him right now!"

"I'm so sorry Claude…" Marianne stood in solemn prayer. "There's nothing we can do for him now."

Although the final battle had been won, the mood in the air was anything but victorious for the members of the Golden Deer. Raphael dropped to his knees in disbelief. Hilda buried her face into Lorenz's chest to hide her tears. Ignatz and Flayn joined Marianne in her prayers. Leonie drove her fist into a boulder out of anger at herself. Lysithea had subconsciously bit her lip hard enough to cause it to bleed.

Having quietly accepted that no amount of magic could bring back the dead, Claude slinked over to remove the Sword of the Creator from his old professor's chest. "I can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through right now…" Claude spoke to Bernadetta in a voice barely above a whisper. Even as Claude silently planted her lover's blade into the ground, she was unable to formulate a response of any kind. "I've never seen anyone as happy you were after your big proposal, and now… I'm really sorry."

With nary a word, Bernadetta slowly picked herself off the ground and began to back away from the grizzly scene that had unfolded before her.

"_This is… this is all your fault, Bernie!"_ the young girl thought to herself.

"_If you hadn't screwed this up… If you hadn't even been here… this never would have happened!"_ she continued to distance herself from the site, not even caring to watch where she was going.

"_Useless!" _

"_Worthless!" _

"_Unmarriageable!" _

**_"You've lost the love of your life once again, Bernie... and this time, he's never coming back."_**

"_It's just like father said… What did Byleth ever see in you? Why did you ever think you deserved to be happy...?"_

"Hey… Bernadetta! Stop!" Claude called out to the girl. "You're getting too close to the edge of the cliff!"

The Alliance leader's words completely failed to register as the lavender haired girl continued to inch closer to the cliff's edge. It was only when a piece of gravel crumbled beneath her feet that Bernadetta finally realized what she was doing, but by then it was too late. She subsequently lost her balance and fell into the dark ravine below with an echoing scream.

* * *

"AAAAAAGGGGHHH!" Bernadetta suddenly rose up in a cold sweat, screaming at the top of her lungs. Still in shock over the series of events she had just experienced, her breathing became extremely labored, causing the girl to hyperventilate for a short while as she scanned her environment… and something immediately seemed off to her. "Wait a second… am I in my room again?"

She took another look around to confirm she wasn't just seeing things. "Holy crap… Was that all just a dream? But it all felt so real…" Bernadetta continued to monologue as she rose out of her bed. "And it's so bright out… Oh no. Is this supposed to be the afterlife?" she had decidedly come up with a different conclusion. "Am I in some sort of hellish purgatory now?! Is that it?! I know I wished to be able to die in my room earlier, but I didn't mean it like this!"

Bernadetta quickly found herself in a panic, frantically pacing back and forth whilst she debated the situation with herself. "Is this a dream or am I dead? Is this a dream or am I dead? I know I can just open the door to find out, but what if it's a trap? I just know something's out to get me-"

The girl's monologue was cut short when the door to her room was suddenly busted open by an unknown assailant. "Bernadetta, are you all right?! I just heard the most ear-piercing scream coming from your room!"

"I- I think I'm fine Edelgard, thanks for coming to check on me."

…

"Wait, EDELGARD?! I really am dead! AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!"


	2. Chapter 1: Pulsation to Tomorrow

"Bernadetta?! What in the world has gotten into you?" Edelgard questioned in bewilderment at the sight of the shorter girl dashing out of her room at the speed of sound. Alas, Bernadetta was long gone before the future empress could even think about getting another word in. "She looked like she'd just seen a ghost…"

"This is bad this is bad this is bad!" Bernadetta rapidly exclaimed as she rushed through the school grounds of Garreg Mach. Everywhere she looked, her surroundings were jarringly different than she last remembered them. There were no signs of damage to be found on any of the buildings, students clad in familiar uniforms roamed throughout the campus, and even the sky itself seemed clearer than it was during the war. In her panicked state, she ended up tackling one unfortunate student down a flight of stairs when her attention began to falter.

"I- I'm really sorry!" Bernadetta hastily apologized before taking off in the opposite direction, catching the attention of many confused onlookers along the way. The sheer surreality of the situation was getting the better of her.

Her body was instinctively moving on its own, actively shutting out all the murmurs and strange looks directed at her from every direction. The shriek of a cat upon having its tail stepped on was enough to spook the purple haired girl into opening the nearest gate she could find and holing herself up inside a secluded garden on the eastern side of the monastery.

"Let's just… think things over for a second, Bernie…" she panted, having long run out of breath from all the crazed running she had been doing for the last five minutes. "There's gotta be a reasonable explanation for all this, right? There's no way any of this is real…" Bernadetta tried to reassure herself, still panting heavily as she made her way towards a nearby pond in an effort to refresh herself.

The image she saw reflecting on the surface of the water only served to panic the girl even further. "What the- is that me?! Why do I look so much younger?! And what am I doing in my old school uniform?! This doesn't make any se- WAAH!" Bernadetta's panicked rant came to an abrupt end when the girl accidentally tripped over a pebble, sending her on a direct course for the pond below.

She closed her eyes in anticipation of the unwanted bath that was sure to follow, but much to her surprise, she didn't feel a single drop of water on her.

…

"_**Would you PLEASE calm down for just a moment?!"**_

"Wh- what…?" Bernadetta wondered aloud. This was a voice she had never heard before. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in what appeared to be an endless void of darkness, with nothing but a single mysterious throne emanating a faint green glow in sight. Perched atop it was a small, green haired girl with a look of annoyance spread across her face.

"_**Now that I have your attention-"**_

"AH! Stay away from me!" Bernadetta recoiled in fear before the girl could finish her sentence.

"_**Excuse me? Is that any way to talk to-"**_

"You can't fool me! I know exactly what you are!" Bernadetta shouted, suddenly standing up straight and pointing an accusatory finger at the mysterious girl. "You're the specter of Death itself, taking the guise of an innocent young girl to lull me into a false sense of security! Well, I'm not about to let you take my soul!"

"_**No, I'm only here to stop you from making an even bigger fool of yourself than you already have."**_ The unknown girl flatly stated, creating what looked to be a magical portal with a flick of her wrist. Within, Bernadetta found herself, suspended in midair mere moments before collapsing into the water.

"_**Now do I have your attention?"**_ the girl asked, eliciting an obedient nod from Bernadetta in response. _**"Good. My name is Sothis."**_

"Sothis? As in the Goddess herself?!"

"_**The one and only… or so I've learned**_." Sothis placed a hand to her chin in deep thought. _**"That doesn't matter. Look, I'll spare you the details, but I've been inside your beloved professor since before you two have ever met."**_

"R- Really…?" Bernadetta furrowed her brow in realization. "I had no idea he was already seeing someone else all this time…"

"_**Ugh, no! Get your head out of the pigpen, that's not what I meant!"**_

"Er- sorry!"

"_**Surely he must have told you this much, right? When Byleth was born, the Crest Stone of the Sword of the Creator, my heart, was planted within him."**_

"Well yeah, he just never told me he had a little girl living inside his head! I just thought the Goddess would have looked a lot more… mature than this."

"_**Well EXCUSE me for not living up to your lofty expectations!"**_ Sothis stomped her foot in frustration.

"Ack! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you, oh glorious Goddess!" Bernadetta began to plead, getting down on her hands and knees to prove her fealty. "Please don't cast me into the pits of Ailell!"

"_**Pick yourself off the ground; you're embarrassing both of us!"**_ Sothis ordered with a sigh of dismay. _**"Look, I'll just get to the point. I don't know how… I don't know why… but when Byleth died protecting you from Nemesis, my spirit somehow ended up in your body."**_

"So it wasn't just a nightmare… He's really…" Bernadetta muttered, now sporting a downtrodden expression.

"_**I'm sorry. I know you're still in pain over what happened… I can feel it."**_ Sothis started as she slowly walked over to comfort Bernadetta in her grief. _**"I'll admit, my memory still feels hazy, but I can tell you one thing." **_She raised a finger to the air to signal for attention. _**"I have power over time itself. I've never turned the clock back so far before, but when you fell down that cliff, your mind and soul were thrown back over five years into the past. Before the war. Before you met Byleth. And before the world was struck with tragedy after tragedy…"**_

"Really? But what does any of this even mean?"

"_**It means you have a chance to alter the course of destiny itself. You can prevent any of these tragedies from ever coming to pass and earn the happy fairy tale ending you've always wished for."**_

"I don't know if I can do that!" Bernadetta quickly shook her head with tears welling up in her eyes. "What if I just screw everything up and make things worse?"

"_**Nothing's going to change if you just lock yourself up in your dorm to mope all day**_!" Sothis sharply reprimanded. _**"I'm going to turn back time to the beginning of this day. This time, you'd better not scream your head off and start running around the monastery like a headless chicken, all right?"**_

"O- Okay." Bernadetta nodded, taking a moment to clear her eyes.

"_**Good. I'm growing rather tired as we speak, so we'd better wrap things up**_." Sothis yawned, creating a magical glyph in front of her that gave off a radiant golden glow. _**"You shall drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek…"**_

* * *

Upon her awakening, Bernadetta made sure to stay silent to avoid attracting any unwanted attention to herself. Now armed with full knowledge of the situation at hand, she stepped out of the safety of her dorm room with a clear goal in mind.

A feeling of nostalgia washed over her as she slowly wandered the grounds of the monastery. It all looked so much more vibrant… more beautiful than it had been since the war with the Empire began. The joyous atmosphere in the air put much emphasis on just how much had been lost to the flow of time. The smiles on the faces of all the students surrounding her helped Bernadetta feel more at ease as she continued to make her way to the main building.

But the sight of what turned the next corner immediately stopped the young girl in her tracks. Her mouth hung open for only a second before her she instinctively rushed forth to envelop Byleth in the tightest hug she could possibly muster.

"_**What do you think you're doing?!" **_Sothis suddenly chimed in, a protest that fell upon deaf ears as the monastery's newest professor rose his arms up in confusion.

Undoubtedly surprised by the sudden invasion of personal space, an alarmed gasp escaped from Byleth's lips at the sight of the bed of purple hair embracing him in the middle of the hall. "...Have we met before?"

"_**You fool! He doesn't know you yet!" **_

"_I know that..." _Bernadetta tightened her grip on her lost lover_. "Just, please… let me have this." _She silently pleaded; paying no mind to Byleth's stunned reaction and the judgmental stares of the students that passed them by.

"_**I can't just keep using my powers on a whim, you know..." **_Sothis sighed. _**"I'll let you have all the time you need, but I'm resetting the day again as soon as you're finished. We can't afford for you to get distracted every time you lay eyes on him." **_

"_Thank you, Sothis..."_


	3. Chapter 2: An Eagle Amongst the Deer

"Excuse me?" Seteth asked, his brow furrowed as he scanned the expression of the timid young student before him.

"I- I said I would like to request a transfer to the Golden Deer house."

"What is the meaning of this, Bernadetta?" Edelgard shot a suspicious glare at her estranged classmate. "The school year has barely just begun."

"Er, I know that…" Bernadetta shriveled up under the watchful eyes of her impromptu interrogators. "It's just that I feel like joining the Golden Deer would benefit my studies more. It's… full of archers, and… I'm an archer too, you know?" she scrambled to come up with a convincing story for her decision. _"And I'd prefer to keep as much distance from Edelgard as I can…" _she silently added to herself.

"I see…" Seteth clasped his hands together in contemplation.

"That can't be your only reason." Edelgard crossed her arms together as she continued to eye down her classmate. "You _do_ realize we have a mock battle coming up in only a matter of days, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that…" Bernadetta lied through her teeth. "I'm sure you'll do just fine without me th-"

"Nonsense!" Edelgard snapped, pounding a fist on Seteth's desk which caused her lavender haired subordinate to cower in fear. "I understand that you may have had problems adjusting to your life at the monastery, but I assure you, we have given you no reason to-"

"Edelgard, I would please ask that you refrain from vandalizing school property." Seteth calmly cut in as he rose up from his chair. "I have a proposition to make."

Bernadetta's eyes immediately lit up in response. "I'm listening."

"If you truly believe that the Golden Deer house is the best fit for you, then you'll simply have to prove it." He shot a silencing glance towards Edelgard before continuing. "Your grades have been suffering as of late, but if you can actually improve your studies in your time with the Golden Deer, then I shall wholeheartedly approve of your decision."

"Th- thank you so much!" Bernadetta quickly lunged forward to shake the instructor's hand in gratitude. "I promise I won't let you down!"

"That's good to hear, Bernadetta." Seteth nodded in approval. "In addition, I fully expect you to aid in bringing your new house to victory in the upcoming mock battle.

"Professor, are you sure about this?"

"This is a perfectly reasonable arrangement, wouldn't you agree, Edelgard? Or are you so unconfident in your leadership abilities that you cannot compensate for the loss of a single member of your party?"

Edelgard's expression softened and she remained silent in response. Taking this as the perfect cue to leave, Bernadetta gave a respectful bow to her two compatriots before making a beeline for the door.

* * *

"_**I'd say that went about as well as it could have gone**_." Sothis suddenly chimed in, prompting her new companion to jump out of her boots in surprise. _**"Come now, you really have to get used to this sooner rather than later."**_

"_You can't just pop up out of nowhere like that!"_ Bernadetta protested, clutching her chest in an effort to steady her breathing.

"_**Ah, I suppose I can hardly blame you."**_ Sothis sighed. _**"Your professor was like this too when we first started conversing."**_

"_Wow, really? It's rather hard to imagine that…"_

"_**You should have seen the way he tripped over himself when we first tried this!"**_ Sothis giggled in recollection. _**"The strange looks he received from his fellow faculty members were simply priceless."**_

"_You know, it's actually kind of comforting to know that Byleth could be just as jumpy as I am."_ Bernadetta joined in on the petite Goddess's laughter. _"But you've got me thinking… If your future spirit is within me right now, does that mean there's another version of yourself lurking in Byleth too?"_

"_**You know… that's a good question."**_ Sothis began to ponder. _**"I'm tempted to ask him myself, but for now it would best if we refrained from-"**_

"GWAAAAHH!" the pair's train of thought screeched to a grinding halt when a student collided with Bernadetta in the middle of the hall, spilling a small mountain's worth of books all around them.

"Oof… Heya, Bernadetta." the familiar redheaded student waved at her. "Sorry about the mess, I didn't see you there."

"I- it's alright, Sylvain. I'm not hurt…" Bernadetta moaned as she sat herself up. "I'll help you sort out your books for y-"she immediately paused as her attention was drawn to the titles and covers of the books before her.

"_ZW's Guide to Catching Hunnies?"_

"_Direct Tethering for Dummies?"_

"_The Aesthetics of Being the Catcher?"_

"_Men and Women: Beneath the Sheets?!"_

"_Who approved these books?!"_ Bernadetta's cheeks flushed bright red as she shot a disgusted look towards Sylvain.

"_**How utterly repulsive…"**_ Sothis agreed. _**"Perhaps you should just leave him be."**_

"Say Bernadetta, since you're here, there was this… book… I… wanted to talk to you about..." Sylvain looked up to find that the girl in question was nowhere to be found. "Hello? Bernadetta? Where'd she go?"

…

Bernadetta let out a sigh of relief as she rested by the door to the library. _"As long as I'm here, this should probably be a good time to catch up on my studies again…"_ she thought to herself before making her way inside, but the girl was quickly stopped in her tracks when she caught wind of a familiar face napping on one of the desks.

"_**What is it this time?"**_ Sothis asked in annoyance. _**"You're not scared of sleepy old Linhardt, are you?"**_

"It's not that, it's just…" Bernadetta responded as she quietly tiptoed through the library. "I'd rather not talk about it, all right? I'm just gonna grab a book and leave."

"_**There's no use hiding your thoughts from me, you know." **_Sothis was quick to remind her. _**"I know you ended up-"**_

"Why hello, Bernadetta. It's quite rare to see you out of your room like this." the Goddess was suddenly interrupted by a yawn from Linhardt, sending many a chill down Bernadetta's spine.

"Er… I won't be long." the timid girl responded, making an active effort to avoid looking her classmate in the eye. "I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep."

"I'll say." Linhardt stretched out his arms with another yawn. "You're not exactly the stealthiest person in the world. I could hear the floorboards creaking from a mile away."

"_Ugh, dammit Bernie…" _

"What brings you here today, if I may ask?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Bernadetta yelped as she increased her pace towards the nearest bookshelf. "I'm just here to pick up some books, that's all! Th- that's what libraries are for, right?!"

"There's no need to state the obvious for me." Linhardt slowly shook his head at the girl's antics. "I'm only here to rest for the afternoon."

"Yeah! Right! I knew that!" Bernadetta cried out, swiping as many books as she could at pure random. "I'll just let you get back to your business, alright? I swear I won't bother you again!" the purple haired girl hastily apologized before bolting out of the library in the blink of an eye.

"What a sad, strange little girl…"

* * *

Bernadetta wound up becoming the unwanted center of attention when she found herself surrounded by her newfound Golden Deer classmates. Even though the people surrounding her were ones she had been fighting alongside for the past year, she still felt more like an herbivore amongst a hoard of carnivores than another member of the herd, so to speak. It was almost jarring to note just how different her allies looked half a decade earlier.

"Well, I'll be. I don't think I've ever seen you out of your room for more than a minute before." Claude lightly teased as he circled the newcomer with his hands behind his head. "This must be a new record, huh?"

"_I'm already starting to regret everything_…"

"Hold your tongue Claude, there's no need to pressure the poor girl on her first day here." Lorenz was quick to reprimand his house leader.

"Relax; I'm only trying to give Bernie a proper welcome. After all, she left the Black Eagles of her own volition, right?"

"I am rather curious about that..." Lysithea put a hand to her chin in deep thought. "What exactly made you want to switch houses so badly anyway?"

"Oh, you know, it's nothing special." Bernadetta mumbled under her breath. "I just thought I'd… fit in better with you guys, that's all."

"Aw, now that's just sweet of you." Hilda cooed over the shorter girl in adoration.

"So you just wanted to make friends with us all along? Well, that's great! We'll all welcome you with open arms!" Raphael joyfully announced as he took a bite out of a kebab he'd been keeping with him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm… really happy to be here with everyone." Bernadetta nervously muttered as she steadily backed away from the crowd of her eager peers. _"Now if you could all just give me some room to breathe, that would be perfect."_

"Hey there Teach, I was wondering when you'd show up." Claude suddenly piped up, waving his hand over to the classroom's doorway.

"H- huh?" Bernadetta slowly turned around to find herself face to face with the Golden Deer's new professor. "Oh, B- Byleth! It's- so good to see you here!"

"Greetings… Bernadetta was it? I've been informed of your recent transfer." the teal haired professor took a moment to survey his new classroom. "But how do you know my name? I don't believe we had the chance to meet yesterday…"

"Ah, well..." the girl had backed herself into a metaphorical corner. "Who _hasn't _heard of the legendary Ashen Demon? You're only the greatest mercenary to roam the land and the son of the esteemed Captain Jeralt!" she twiddled her fingers together as she blurted out the first explanation that came to mind.

"Wow, Bernadetta." Leonie chuckled out loud. "I had no idea you were such an avid fan of our new professor. I've never even heard of him myself until just recently."

"Well now. I'm… rather flattered to hear that." Byleth awkwardly cradled the back of his neck with his hand in response.

"_Ack! Sothis, bring me back a few minutes!"_

"_**I am NOT turning back the clock every time you fumble over your own dialogue!"**_

"As all of you may have surmised, I will be serving as your primary instructor from this day forward." Byleth explained as he made his way around to the center of the room among the murmurs and musings of his new students. "I'm afraid we won't have much before the upcoming mock battle between our three houses tomorrow, so today we'll be reviewing the fundamentals of battle to get a sense of where you all stand on that front."

"…And Bernadetta?" Byleth's attention turned to the direction of the room's doorframe.

"Y- yes?!"

"I'd appreciate it if you could come back into the classroom now." Byleth gestured to the girl in question, who had managed to subconsciously back away into the middle of the field outside.

"_Gah! Stupid Bernie!"_ Bernadetta mentally berated herself, her face glowing crimson as she closed her eyes and scurried back into class. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't kick me out, I promise I'll behave!"

Redoing the school year was going to be a lot harder than she thought.


	4. Chapter 3: Initial Strike

"Alright, everyone." Claude announced, gathering the rest of his class around a large map of what would be their upcoming battlefield in a couple of hours. "You guys remember the plan, right?"

"Yes Claude, we've all committed your harebrained scheme to memory down to the slightest detail." Lorenz remarked with a show of thinly veiled contempt.

"Doubt me all you want, but we're not gonna win this fight by charging in headfirst like a mob of angry rioters."

"Indeed." Byleth added in. "Most battles are won or lost before they're even fought. If a single one of us is unable to play their role, it could ultimately spell disaster for the entire team in the long run."

"I just have… one tiny problem with the whole operation." Hilda raised her hand in an effort to voice an objection. "You can't seriously expect such a fragile maiden like myself to soak up all the blows on the frontline, can you? I'd be better off providing some much needed moral support to our newest member in the back." she gestured to Bernadetta, who shyly turned away in response.

"No can do, Hilda." Claude immediately shut her suggestion down. "Bernie here is going to be part of one of our dedicated flanking squads. She and I will attempt to sneak around enemy lines from opposite ends of the field to strike where they're most vulnerable."

"_Yeah. No pressure, right?"_ the archer in question thought to herself as she shuddered in anticipation by the corner of the room.

"_**What's your problem? Surely you must remember how this battle originally went down, do you not?"**_

"_Uh… no, actually. I kind of skimped out on the mock battle the first time around…"_ Bernadetta sheepishly admitted. _"All I know is that Byleth's team ended up taking on both rival houses at once, yet he still managed to come out on top without losing a single unit."_

"_**Of course you did…"**_ Sothis sighed. _**"I suppose all we can do now is have faith in your professor's master plan. Perhaps it will be even easier now that we hold a slight numbers advantage over the other houses."**_

"_I guess so… I just hope I don't screw this up too badly."_

"It's okay if you're not feeling too confident in the upcoming battle. I'm not really used to fighting either." a quiet voice suddenly crept up from the side, prompting Bernadetta to briefly jump in terror.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you!" Marianne hastily apologized. "You just looked so lost in thought…"

"I- it's fine, really..." the lavender haired girl reassured her classmate. "At least your job is easier compared to mine. You won't have to worry about coming into harm's way while you focus on healing everyone."

"I suppose that's true… but I still don't like the idea of people getting themselves hurt for my sake."

"Believe me, I can relate…" Bernadetta hung her down in recollection. "Honestly, I don't think fighting is something _anyone_ can fully adjust to, no matter how much practice they put into it. But it's something you have to do if you want to protect the ones you care about."

"I see… you look like you speak from experience, Bernadetta." Marianne solemnly noted as she turned her head up to the heavens. "In which case, I hope the Goddess watches over you in the coming battle."

"_Oh, she will all right…"_

* * *

"Relax, you two. If I was really planning on poisoning your teams, you wouldn't even be standing in this field right now." Claude threw his hands up in innocence as his rival house leaders stared him down.

"Somehow, that does little to reassure me…" Dimitri shook his head in disapproval.

"I trust you'll keep your students in line to prevent them from actually carrying out such threats, won't you professor?" Edelgard asked, to which Byleth simply nodded in response. "Ah, Bernadetta. I've been searching for you." she suddenly called out to the timid archer in question, who instantly froze in her tracks upon hearing her name.

"_Wh- what does she want with me?!"_ Bernadetta internally panicked. _"She's not on to me, is she?!"_

"_**Don't just leap to conclusions! Get over there and see what she has to say!" **_

The timid girl audibly gulped before she hesitantly came to join in on the house leader's conversation. "Look, I- I'm really sorry I left the Black Eagles on such short notice!"

"No, I believe I should be apologizing for my rash behavior the other day. I truly do respect your decision to depart on your own. It must have taken a tremendous amount of courage. " the future empress delivered her compliment with a genuine smile on her face.

"Oh… so, no hard feelings, right?" Bernadetta let out a sigh of relief. "I do feel a little guilty about leaving your team shorthanded for such an important event though."

"That won't be a problem for us, actually." Edelgard turned around and beckoned for a peculiar redheaded classmate of hers to come over. "As a matter of fact, I've been meaning to introduce the newest member of the Black Eagles to you. She coincidentally joined us not long after your departure."

"Monica von Ochs, at your service." the girl introduced herself with an elegant curtsy. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"_Why do I feel like I've seen this girl before_…?" Bernadetta began to ponder before her eyes widened in realization. A pit formed in her throat as she took another glance at the mysterious girl in question._ "Oh no! You don't think-"_

"_**I fear you may be right. That's the girl responsible for Captain Jeralt's death."**_

"_AAAAAHHHH! She's not supposed to be here so early! I knew Edelgard was on to me! What am I gonna do now?!"_

"_**Just. Act. Natural. We do not know that yet." **_Sothis slowly cautioned her companion._** "You will only serve to make them more suspicious if you start panicking now."**_

"_I'd like to see YOU stay calm in front of a murderous psychopath! I might find a dagger in my back any second now!"_

"Monica von Ochs… how curious." Dimitri began to wonder aloud. "I've heard rumors of you suddenly disappearing from the monastery last year. What exactly brings you back here today?"

"My, I'm surprised you heard about that." Monica chuckled to herself. "Coincidental as this may sound; I had a bit of a family emergency to deal with right before I was due to graduate."

"One so urgent that you had to abruptly leave without a trace?" Dimitri raised an eyebrow at the redhead's overly convenient story.

"Why yes, actually. I hail from the Erebonian Empire across the sea. It's an excruciatingly long trip from Fódlan, you see."

"_**The Erebonian Empire? Now there's a country I've never heard of…" **_Sothis mulled over the mysterious girl's story in puzzlement.

"_I've… actually read a good number of stories about it myself."_ Bernadetta commented. _"I was never sure if it actually existed though. It's supposedly located on an entirely different continent from F__ó__dlan."_

"_**How fascinating…"**_

"I believe we've all had more than enough time to chat by now. The mock battle is due to begin at any moment." Edelgard suddenly cut in. "I wish you all the best of luck. May the best house win."

"Why thank you Edelgard, I'm sure we will." Claude teased the imperial princess, who merely shot a sharp glare back at him in response.

"I do so look forward to meeting you all on the battlefield." Monica looked over in Bernadetta's direction, bearing what seemed to be the faintest trace of a grin on her lips. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"_I'm doomed…"_

* * *

"Lorenz! What the hell do you think you think you're doing?!" Claude shouted with a mix of disbelief and annoyance at his noble classmate, who had initiated a one man charge on the rival houses almost immediately after the battle commenced.

"A true leader has no need to rely on such flimsy schemes to secure victory! We must all live in the moment, and claim the honor with our own hands! Now watch as our enemies feel the unbridled might of Lorenz Hellman Gloucester!"

"Yeah! Let's do this! I've got your back, Lorenz!" Raphael roared in approval before rushing forth to join in on the assault.

"Wha- not you too, Raph! Gah… We're off to a great start here, aren't we?" Claude sarcastically commented as his teammate's boasts inevitably attracted the attention of the entire Blue Lion household.

"This is unbelievable…" Leonie sighed, readying her spear in anticipation of the ensuing chaos that was sure to follow.

"Leonie, Hilda, you'll need to get down there and support those two right away." Byleth started relaying orders, his voice carrying no signs of panic even as his carefully laid out plan was going downhill. "I'll take Lysithea and Bernadetta with me to fend off any Black Eagles attempting to approach from the west."

"Gotcha, Teach. Marianne, Ignatz, you're with me." Claude signaled as he began to circle around to the east. "With any luck, we should still be able to salvage this…"

"_Alright Bernie… it's time to show everyone what you're made of!"_ Bernadetta psyched herself up as she set out to join up with her professor.

The trio quickly scurried off to a small forest overlooking the battlefield, where they were given a clear view of the utter discord that had erupted between the rest of their class and the entirety of the Blue Lions.

Raphael had begun struggling hand to hand with Dedue, Leonie had engaged in a one on one duel with Felix off to the side, and Dimitri skillfully warded off a combined assault from Lorenz and Hilda. As luck would have it, the sheer confusion of the battle at hand gave Claude's group ample opportunity to sneak up from behind and strike from the Blue Lion's exposed flanks, even managing to take out a few of their adversaries before they could retaliate.

"It seems like not the only ones with some hardheaded glory hounds on our side." Lysithea pointed over to an advancing Ferdinand and Caspar, who were both readily eager to join in on the preexisting skirmish.

"R- right, I've got this." Bernadetta announced as she took up her position by the edge of the forest and readied her bow. She let lose a single arrow in the direction of Ferdinand's carrot colored hairdo… and only succeeded in hitting a nearby boulder. Embarrassed, the archer took another shot at the opposing noble, which wound up grazing Caspar's heel instead.

"_What is going on with me?!"_ Bernadetta wondered in bemusement. _"I used to be able to take shots like this all the time!"_

"_**All those years of experience won't exactly matter much when you're stuck using a much less developed body. You'll never hit your targets at this distance." **_

"_You've got to be kidding me!" _

"Aha! You thought you could get the drop on us, didn't you?" Ferdinand was quick to taunt his former classmate for her poor aim. "Come Caspar, our quarry awaits!"

"Great,_ now_ they know where we are!" a ball of dark magic narrowly sailed past Lysithea's head as the young mage lamented their situation.

"I- I'm sorry, I swear I'm not always like th- UAGH!" Bernadetta attempted to explain herself, but was disrupted when a bolt of lightning struck the land in front of her, spooking the poor girl off her feet.

"Sorry Bern, it's nothing personal!" Dorothea hastily apologized from behind the safety of a wooden barricade as she began to ready her next spell.

"I'll hold off these two! Bernadetta, I'll need you to put a hamper down on their ranged support!" Byleth calmly ordered, sliding down the hill in order to face Ferdinand and Caspar head on.

Bernadetta nodded before heading off to support Lysithea against the Black Eagle's myriad of mages, though it quickly became apparent that neither side could gain a significant advantage over the other due to the large difference in terrain between them.

"We can't just hole ourselves up here forever!" Lysithea protested as another bolt of magical energy whizzed right by the pair.

"I- I know that! It's not like we can just ask them to get out from behind those barriers though!" Bernadetta retorted, having grown increasingly frustrated at her deteriorated aiming skills. Try as she might, the archer was lucky to be able to land her arrows past the barricades, let alone land any shots on the enemies lurking behind them.

"…I think I have an idea."

"Well, I'm open to suggestions!"

…

"Lady Edelgard, it appears they've stopped firing upon us…" Hubert cautiously observed as he peered his head out from behind cover. "Shall we advance upon them now?"

"Wait." the imperial princess held up her hand in a signal for her allies to cease fire. She adeptly scanned the horizon in search of her attackers, but then Edelgard's eyes quickly widened in realization when she looked up into the sky, revealing a volley of flaming arrows burning as bright as the sun heading in her direction. None of them had managed to actually hit any of the Black Eagles, but that was hardly their intended purpose…

"Clever girl… the entire thicket has been set ablaze." Linhardt noted, sounding much less urgent than the situation would imply.

"We need to regroup, right now!"

…

"Huh. Not bad. Not bad at all, Bernadetta." Lysithea looked upon the spreading inferno with awe as she genuinely applauded the archer's efforts.

"I'm just glad that actually managed to work…" Bernadetta breathed a sigh of relief as she sauntered back to rest her head against the trunk of a tree.

"Excellent work, both of you." Byleth called out, having managed to reunite with the two after finishing his duel with Ferdinand and Caspar. "Now come, we must finish up the remaining Black Eagles before they have a chance to reorient themselves."

"Right, let's go, professor. This battle has gone on for far too long." Lysithea readily agreed with her professor and began to descend from the hill to aid in his upcoming attack.

"W- wait, I'm coming too-" Bernadetta set out to join back up with the rest of her group, but was quickly stopped in her tracks by the sound of rustling leaves in the trees above her.

"_Did… you just hear that?" _the purple haired girl fidgeted in place as her eyes darted all around in a desperate search for the source of the mysterious noise.

"_**Be careful. I fear this may be a-"**_

"Surprise!" Sothis's words of caution were rudely broken off by the sudden appearance of an all too familiar bundle of red hair, who dropped down from a hanging tree branch to deliver a swinging kick to Bernadetta's midsection, briefly knocking the frightened girl off her feet.

"_**Curses! I was wondering why I couldn't spot Monica among Edelgard's group!" **_

"_Wh- what am I going to do now?!"_ Bernadetta internally panicked as she picked herself up and slowly backed away further into the thicket, her mind racing with fears as a cacophony of rustling leaves sounded off in seemingly every direction.

"_**For starters, don't make any sudden movements… There's no telling where that girl will strike from next, or when…"**_

"_That's not very reassuring!"_

Bernadetta's fears only continued to grow upon hearing a playful giggle from Monica, who was all but toying with her chosen prey at this point. Swallowing a gulp, the archer readied her bow in anticipation of her attacker's next move. Her heartbeat grew more labored with each passing second as the sounds of the leaves only continued to grow in volume…

Before she knew it, Bernadetta's body surged with excruciating pain when a stray throwing knife flew into the back of her neck, forcing the girl to drop her bow in shock before she fell to the ground face first, unable to utter little more than a strained whimper as the blood in her throat quickly started to pile up.

"_I can't… I don't want it to end like this… Not while I still haven't…"_ her mind began to drift as memories of the life she'd lead started flashing before her eyes. _"Byleth…"_

...

Bernadetta's thoughts were brought to a halt in an instant when a blinding flash of colors swept through her eyes and she abruptly found herself back on her feet, completely unharmed.

"_What…? How am I…"_ the girl reached for the back of her neck to find that the knife that had struck her was nowhere to be found.

"_**Did you forget already? I have the power to turn back the hands of time."**_ Sothis was quick to remind her confused companion. _**"This very power has saved your professor and his allies from the jaws of death countless times in the past... or was it the future?"**_

"_That's… going to take some getting used to."_ Bernadetta noted, her heart still racing and her body frozen in place as her eyes scanned the environment around her.

"_**Well, you'd better get used to it quickly."**_ the goddess within her mind grimly stated. _**"These flimsy training weapons shouldn't be capable of drawing blood… That girl is clearly using real weapons in this fight, and some rather deadly ones at that."**_

"_Gee, thanks, I think I figured that out after her knife tore a hole in my throat." _

"_**Is it too much to ask for gratitude after I literally just saved your life?"**_

"_Er, right, sorry…" Bernadetta hastily apologized. "But what am I supposed to do now?"_

"_**For now, the flow of time has been stopped. It shall proceed once more the moment you move your body. Not that you have knowledge of what's to come, you should be able to prevent your untimely demise and react accordingly."**_

"_Got it…" _Bernadetta took a moment to calm her nerves, tightening her grip on her bow before she swiftly leapt to the side. This time, the knife meant for her head had harmlessly embedded itself into a nearby tree. With no time to waste, the archer immediately turned around and fired an arrow in the opposite direction, eliciting a surprised cry of pain from Monica.

"My, your reflexes are quite impressive, aren't they?" a steely grin flashed across the redhead's lips as she retrieved another blade from her pockets. "Well, that just makes things even more exciting!" she cried out with a sense of sadistic joy in her voice before making a mad dash for her frightened target.

Screeching in terror, Bernadetta hastily fired another arrow at her rapidly approaching assailant, who avoided the projectile with relative ease.

"Too slow!" Monica returned the favor by throwing another knife towards the archer's face, who narrowly managed to duck underneath it. With little time to prepare another arrow before her foe could come within striking distance, Bernadetta took hold of the knife embedded in the tree behind her in a bold attempt to fend off the assassin's oncoming strike.

The resulting clash threw Bernadetta off balance just long enough for her enemy to reach in and deliver a single precise cut to her arm, forcing her to drop the knife she had retrieved to the ground as she cried out in abject pain. Faced with few other options, the archer fought through the pain to ready her bow for one last desperate strike. Yet as she reached for the bowstring, a familiar sigil briefly flashed before her eyes, seemingly halting Monica's next attack long enough for an arrow to fly into the redhead's chest with more force than a training weapon ought to be capable of.

Though it was still unable to draw blood, the unexpected power of the attack was more than enough to send the bloodthirsty assassin off her feet with a surprised yelp.

"Was that…" Bernadetta wondered aloud, looking over to her arm to find that the bleeding had miraculously stopped. Whether it was from fear or pure adrenaline, she even felt slightly more energized than she had a moment ago.

"_**We'll talk about that later, just run! Run for your life and do not look back!" **_

"_You don't have to tell me twice!"_ Bernadetta immediately heeded the Goddess's words of warning and fled from the thicket as fast as her legs could possibly carry her.

The girl's eyes widened in astoundment upon entering the clear, as she suddenly came face to face with Byleth, who was idling by on the edge of the hill looking somewhat lost in thought. Unfortunately for the two of them, Bernadetta was sprinting far too quickly to stop at this point, causing her to collide with the professor at full force and send the pair tumbling down the hill to the field below.

"Bernadetta?" Byleth asked, raising his brow in confusion and seemingly unaware of the suggestive position he had found himself in as his student laid on top of him. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over-" his words were cut short when the girl in question instinctively wrapped her arms around him in an awkward embrace.

"S- sorry, force of habit!" the lavender haired girl shortly realized her mistake and hurriedly sat herself up.

"_**What is it with you and running into people?" **_Sothis shook her head in disbelief.

"_It's not like I'm doing it on purpose!"_

"Ooh la la!" the sound of another voice nearby prompted Bernadetta to look up in horror to find Claude watching over her with a wide grin on his face. "You know, I had a feeling this was why you wanted to join the Golden Deer, but I never thought you'd be _this _bold."

"Ah, I swear this isn't what it looks like!" Bernadetta struggled to lift herself off the ground, much to Claude's amusement.

"Hey, I won't judge." the house leader chuckled to himself as he walked over to help up his professor. "Though I must say, it might not be the best idea to get down and dirty in the middle of the battlefield."

"Bernadetta…" Byleth began to ask, but his attention was promptly drawn towards the gash of red on the girl's right arm. "You're injured… did somebody attack you while you were still up on the hill?"

"Whoa, and the cut seems pretty deep too." Claude walked over to examine his classmate's arm up close.

"Oh, this?" Bernadetta had nearly forgotten about the wound due to the rush of adrenaline she used to escape the forest. "It's just a little scr- ow, it still hurts!" she yelped in pain when Claude briefly reached out to grab her arm.

"I recognize this sort of wound all too well… it's from a dagger commonly used for political assassinations." Claude's expression turned grim. "You're lucky it didn't hit anything vital, but we should still get it looked at just in case."

"_If only you knew…"_ Bernadetta thought to herself as she caught Dimitri and Edelgard approaching from the corner of her eye.

"Ah, professor!" the Blue Lion's leader happily called out. "I'd like to congratulate you on a job well done. Your ever adapting leadership skills were truly remarkable."

"I simply have my students to thank for our success." Byleth humbly stated before turning to Edelgard. "Would either of you mind helping us bring Bernadetta back to the monastery? She has an injury that needs taking care of right away."

"Bernadetta…"Edelgard's voice was one mixed with concern and a slight tinge of anger. "Who did this to you?"

"I… I don't know if I should say." Bernadetta hesitantly answered, deciding to keep her near lethal encounter with Monica to herself, at least for now.

"No matter, I'll ensure this never happens again." the Black Eagle's leader solemnly bowed her head before setting out to depart from the group. "Please, stay here. I'll retrieve Professor Manuela as soon as possible."

Bernadetta carefully watched the Adrestian princess as she ran off to find help, feeling quite unsure of her intentions. Whatever thoughts were stewing in her mind was a mystery to be sure…


	5. Chapter 4: Counting Missteps

_Bernadetta perched herself atop the bridge to the Goddess Tower, her mind racing as she fiddled around with a tiny box in her gloved hands. Times of rest such as this had grown scarce since the start of the war, and even rarer still were times where the small purple haired girl willingly remained outside the personal sanctuary of her room. In the young Ms. Varley's mind, she was in the midst of the most important decision of her life as she nervously scanned the night horizon around her in hopeful anticipation._

"_This has to go perfectly… This has to go perfectly…" she continuously whispered to herself in an effort to calm her nerves, tightening her grip on the container she carried to ensure it didn't suddenly fly open._

"_Ah, Bernadetta." a soothing voice called out to her from the chapel's balcony. "Please, forgive me for arriving so late. Claude's war council simply didn't know when to let me go."_

"_N- no, that's okay Byleth; you didn't keep me waiting too long." Bernadetta slowly stood up from the side of the bridge, her heart now beating faster with each passing second. "Do… do you think we could take this conversation inside?" she beckoned to the imposing tower behind her._

"_Of course. I have been rather curious to know what you wished to speak with me about ever since you threw that paper ball at me from across the dining hall earlier today."_

"_Well, y-you looked so busy at the time and I was really strapped for options, so-"_

"_No, I understand." Byleth softly interjected as he held the door open for his companion. "I have been meaning to apologize for not stopping by as of late, especially after… well, you know."_

"_That's… actually part of the reason I wanted to bring you here tonight." Bernadetta clasped her hands together with a downtrodden expression on her face. "Honestly, as panicky as I can be most of the time, I think I might be more afraid right now than I've ever been before."_

"_I'm sorry. I know I should have done more-"_

"_You have nothing to apologize for! Er, that is to say…"Bernadetta took a deep breath before looking Byleth dead in the eyes. "Witnessing so many of my old classmates die at the battle of Gronder really put things into perspective for me." _

_Byleth quietly nodded in understanding._

"_I'm just starting to realize that if I had stuck around with Edelgard's empire… I probably would have died on that field the other day too. I'd have been scared… alone… and fighting for a cause I didn't even believe in."_

"_I'd imagine there were other students that must have felt the same way you did…" Byleth faintly responded, a look of guilt forming across his face as his former pupil confidently presented him with the closed box she had been keeping all night._

"_I know… That's why I've decided I want to live without regrets." Bernadetta slowly opened the box… only to find that it was completely empty inside. "No… Oh, Gods… I- I didn't drop it off the bridge, did I?! Ugh, why now?! This is the worst possible time-"_

"_There's no need to worry." Byleth reassured the panicking girl before him with a warm smile. "I believe this is what you're looking for. It seems you dropped it right outside your door." he held out his hand to reveal an elegant, jewel-encrusted ring. "I'm… really happy for you." _

"_Yeah, it's... no, wait; you've got the wrong idea!" Bernadetta hastily shouted when she noticed her former professor's smile beginning to fade. "I… I got this ring for you, and nobody else!"_

"_You… would you truly…? Byleth's eyes widened and his mouth hung slightly open in response._

"_I know this is usually supposed to be the other around and all, but I at least wanted to use this as a personal statement." Bernadetta shakily reached for her soon to be fiancé's hand. "You've given me so much to believe in and… I just don't know what I'd do without you. I want to spend every waking moment by your side from now on."_

"_Bernie… I'd love nothing more than to share my life with you."_

"_By…"Bernadetta quietly whispered with tender tears crawling from her eyes as she took hold of Byleth's other hand and leaned in for a kiss…_

* * *

Bernadetta's blissful dream was brought to an abrupt end by the sound of a loud yelp and a resounding crash over by the window. Without missing a beat, she instinctively bolted up from her bed, grabbed a dagger she had been keeping nearby, and lit up a candle to find none other than Monica, whose body was bound by a rope and hanging upside-down from the ceiling.

"Uh… hi there. Would you mind helping me down from here?" Monica greeted, trying and failing to wave her hand at the utterly bewildered owner of the room.

"You!" Bernadetta angrily pointed her dagger at the redhead. "You thought you could just come back and finish me off while I was totally defenseless, huh?" she bent down to pluck her finger on a hidden tripwire situated just above the floor. "Well, I'm not having any of that tonight!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"D- don't try to play dumb! You_ literally_ tried to kill me yesterday!"

"What, you're still hung up over my little forest ambush? I just wanted to play with you for a bit…" the redheaded intruder pouted with all the grace of a scolded toddler. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't bring any knives with me this time… I've officially come in peace."

"You just wanted to… ugh…" Bernadetta sighed in exasperation. "What are you even here for?"

"Edie was really mad about that tiny scratch I gave you, so she wanted me to apologize."

"By breaking into my personal sanctuary in the middle of the night?! What is wrong with you?!"

"I dunno, Edie asked me that exact same question too…" Monica thoughtfully pondered to herself. "You would have run away you saw me anywhere else, though! You're actually a lot faster than you look, you know?"

"_This is getting ridiculous…" Bernadetta thought to herself. "Maybe this will actually be the best time for me to dispose of her before she becomes a problem."_

"_**And how exactly do you intend to explain the sudden disappearance of a new student?"**_

"_I could… dump her body in the river and make it look like an accident…"_

"_**Yes, an accident that will inevitably be traced right back to you."**_Sothis sarcastically reprimanded._**"I believe your best course of action would be to keep her alive to extract valuable information from her. Perhaps you could even befriend her along the way."**_

"_Wha- no! That's a terrible idea!" _Bernadetta vehemently protested._ "You can't possibly expect me to make friends with this raving lunatic!"_

"_**Would you prefer to take your chances with the old librarian instead?"**_

"…_Good point." _Bernadetta reluctantly receded._ "I still don't like the idea of this though…"_

"Uh, hello? Bernie? You're kind of spacing out down there."

"You do _not_ have the right to call me that." Bernadetta growled, her voice dripping with barely concealed venom.

"Geez, you sure are cranky tonight." Monica innocently shrugged to the best of her ability. "Was it because I interrupted your little wet dream? You were moaning your professor's name in your sleep pretty loudly. It was kind of uncomfortable to listen to after the first thirty seconds..."

"_**I must admit, that is rather disconcerting…"**_

"_You stay out of this!"_

"I think we're done for the night." Bernadetta firmly declared as she reached up to cut the rope hanging her unwanted intruder from the ceiling, causing her to fall to the floor with a forceful thud.

"Oogh, thanks Bernie." the redhead was met with a lingering silence as her unwilling companion wordlessly picked her off the ground and carried her over to the open window. "Oh, and before I forget, Professor Hanneman wanted to see you first thing in the morning!"

The next thing she knew, Monica found herself getting unceremoniously thrown out the window like a paperweight. "…Aren't you going to untie me?" she expectantly looked up at Bernadetta, whose hands were already lingering above the windowsill.

"No." the lilac haired girl flatly stated before slamming the window shut, breathing a sigh of relief now that she'd finally banished the invader from her room.

"There goes my sleep for the night… at least I won't have to worry about any more intrusions, right?"

"Hey, Bernie? What's all the commotion down here? I could hear you thrashing around from up on the second floor!"

Bernadetta's head whipped around in alarm as the voice of her house leader voice rung out from behind the front door. "Wha- Claude?! I- it's nothing, really! Don't come in, it's not-"the girl's warning fell on deaf ears as the man of the hour deftly unlocked the door, only to fall into the same trap as Monica the moment he set foot inside.

"…Would you mind explaining this to me?"

"I really need to make some changes to my security system…"

* * *

"This is most fascinating… it seems your wound from yesterday has completely disappeared!"

"Well yeah, it's nothing special…" Bernadetta bashfully rolled up her sleeve as Professor Hanneman excitedly paced throughout the room. "I've always been a fast healer, you know?"

"After seeing how deep that cut sunk into your flesh, I suspect there may be more to this miracle than meets the eye…" the esteemed crest scholar pondered aloud, much to his visitor's continued discomfort.

"I- it must have just looked worse than it actually was..."

"That may be so, but there is one surefire way to find out." Hanneman gestured to the device in the center of the room. "Please, hold your hand out over the Crest Scanner."

"Wh- why would you need to know that?" Bernadetta nervously asked. "You already know I have the Crest of Indech, don't you?"

"Indeed I do, but there have never been any reports of this Crest aiding in the body's natural healing process…" the aging professor held out his own hand to reveal the sigil of the Crest in question. "Perhaps it is possible that your particular Crest has evolved in some way… a mutation, if you would."

"So... that's gotta be it, right? Problem solved!" Bernadetta briefly glanced back at the door behind her, contemplating whether or not she should escape from the current conversation.

"I truly understand your unwillingness to reveal this sudden change in your body to the outside world." Hanneman looked up to the sky in contemplation. "But I must assure you; this information will be strictly confidential. Simply say the word, and I will ensure that no other soul ever gets wind of the truth of this situation."

"A- alright…" the purple haired girl reluctantly complied. "I need to affirm this for myself too."

Student and teacher alike immediately widened their eyes in astonishment upon the reveal of the two sigils that emerged before them.

"Incredible…" Hanneman's mouth had hung agape at the revelation. "Not only do you possess a second Crest, but you share the same Crest as your professor… "

"_**I suspected as much…"**_

"_But how did I manage to receive the Crest of Flames_?"Bernadetta curiously mused to the Goddess in her mind._ "I thought Crests were only passed down through blood and the passing of generations…"_

"_**True as that is, I believe this may have come as a side effect of my spirit migrating to your body…" **_Sothis noted. _**"Or perhaps it could have been transmitted through the transfer of bodily-"**_

"_You can stop right there!"_ Bernadetta mentally scolded her companion as she slowly backed away towards the door. "Look, you'll promise you won't share this with anyone else, right?" she called out to Hanneman, her body already halfway through the entryway.

"You have my word, Bern-" the crest scholar looked up to find that his visitor had already fled the scene while he was buried within his own thoughts. "A shame. I still had so much more to ask of her…"

* * *

"That concludes our lesson for the day." Byleth announced, clasping his textbook shut just in time for the school bell to ring. A small satisfactory smirk crept onto his lip for his perfectly timed conclusion. "Now then, I'd like to remind everyone of our upcoming mission at the end of the month. Seeing as how this will be the first real taste of combat for many of you, I want to make sure you're all physically and mentally prepared for what's to come."

"We're only going out to fight a couple of bandits, right? How hard could this possibly be?"

"Unlike our fellow students at the mock battle, these bandits won't hesitate to put an axe through your skull, Hilda."

"Morbid as that explanation may sound, Lysithea is entirely right." the professor calmly explained as he paced throughout the classroom. "Make no mistake, this will be a life or death battle, but I have full faith in your ability to make it through this. With that… you're all free to go."

Bernadetta simply remained hunched over in her seat by the back of the room, fiercely scribbling onto a spare sheet of parchment even as the rest of the students readily fled the class.

"…What are you drawing there, Bernadetta?" Ignatz's voice suddenly asked from behind, startling the girl right out of her seat.

"Uh, nothing! Nothing at all! I'm just finishing up my notes for today's lesson!" Bernadetta hastily folded up her material in response.

"Ah, sorry, I probably shouldn't have snuck up on you like that." Ignatz sheepishly apologized with one hand on the back of his neck. "There's no need to be so ashamed of your sketch, though. I thought it looked really good and-"

"You did?! Oh crap, you need to forget you ever saw that!"

"Why is that? It didn't seem like you were making anything inappropriate…" the olive haired student pondered in confusion. "In fact, I feel like I've seen that somewhere before..."

"L-look, it's nothing important, alright?" Bernadetta nervously stuttered as she hastily packed her belongings and made a beeline for a door. "It's just some dingy little emblem I saw in a book before… a quick distraction to help take my mind off th-" the girl's words were cut short when she bumped right into her professor, who had suddenly decided to idle right in the middle of the doorframe.

"It seems you dropped this just a moment ago." Byleth calmly informed, firmly grasping his student's discarded parchment in his hand. Before Bernadetta could utter a word of protest, he nonchalantly unfolded the paper, his brow rising in amusement as he recognized the familiar sketch within. "Ah… it seems you've taken an interest in the symbol on my uniform."

"Ah, so that's what it was!" Ignatz's eyes lit up in realization. "That truly is an intriguing mark, Professor. Is there some sort of story behind it?"

"AAAGH! You weren't supposed to see that either, By!"

"By…? Is that a nickname for me?"

With another scream of embarrassment, Bernadetta shut her eyes, and a blinding flash of colors weaved through her vision. When she opened them again, she found herself shakily hunched over her seat once more. With her fellow students clamoring to leave class yet again, she hurriedly packed up her belongings, this not being sure not to leave anything behind, before scurrying off to blend herself in within the crowd.

"_**What did I tell you about abusing my power for petty reasons?!"**_

"_I- I'm sorry, it was an accident this time!"_ Bernadetta held an open book over her head as the Goddess within her mind harshly scolded her. _"Look, my entire body's been feeling really weird ever since I arrived in this era, and it only gets worse whenever I see his face!"_

"_**I suppose I should have seen this coming…" **_Sothis sighed in vexation. _**"If I were to hazard a guess, this may have come as another side effect of your adult mind being thrust back into a teenage body, but you will need to learn to control yourself better from now on."**_

"_I- I know that…" _Bernadetta lamented as she separated from the crowd._ "We should be fine as long as I can continue to undo my missteps, right?"_

"_**I'd much prefer if you didn't have to rely on that so heavily in the first place…"**_

Meanwhile, Byleth remained idle in the Golden Deer classroom, his hand raised to his chin in deep thought as he examined his surroundings with a slight sense of bewilderment.

"There's that strange sensation again. Time itself has suddenly leaped back without warning… yet I know for certain that I haven't made use of this power since I first met with the other house leaders…" he took another look around the class to find that it had been completely cleared of students this time around. "What is the meaning of all this…?"

* * *

**Well now, I must say I've been pleasantly surprised by all the positive traction this story has been receiving, and for that, I must thank everyone who's progressed thus far.**

**As some keen-eyed readers may have noted, the mention of Erebonia in the previous chapter was indeed a direct reference to the Legend of Heroes games. For the sake of avoiding any unnecessary confusion, I'm not planning on incorporating any direct appearances from the series characters, but it is certainly something that will continue to be referenced in the future. For what purpose, you may ask? Well, that remains to be seen.**


	6. Chapter 5: Unwanted Intrusions

The soft clink of an arrow burrowing itself into a stone wall seemed to echo all throughout the vacant training grounds as Bernadetta blankly stared at the stationary target in the distance. Sighing, she notched her next arrow and took another shot, which just barely managed to graze the very edge of her target. One shot later, and this arrow failed to even make it to the wall before harmlessly clattering to the floor. The next attempt was the closest one yet, as her remaining arrow at least managed to land somewhere on its mark.

"Bernie's just no good…" the lilac haired girl muttered to herself as she scurried over to collect the arrows she had scattered throughout the arena.

"_**You're not just going to turn back into a master marksman overnight, you know?" **_

"_That doesn't make it any less frustrating to have to start from scratch all over again…" _Bernadetta lamented to the Goddess in her head.

"_**Exhausting yourself at such a late hour won't exactly do you any favors either. You should strongly consider going to bed right now."**_

"_It's fine, really. I can keep going a little longer-"_

"You there. What do you think you're doing here in the dead of night?" a low, unamused voice suddenly called over from the entrance of the arena.

"AH! P-professor Jeritza!" Bernadetta's body quickly jolted up in surprise, her body erupting into a cold sweat at the very sight of the man. _"He's here to kidnap me for blood experiments like he did with Flayn, isn't he?!"_ she mentally panicked as Jeritza eyed her with suspicion.

"I c-could ask you the same question!"

"I'm here to inspect the monastery grounds for any illicit activity. It's my job." the masked professor flatly informed. "And what of a lass such as yourself? Even the most dedicated of trainees have long decided to call it a day at this point."

"Well, th-that's exactly why I'm here right now." Bernadetta muttered, making an active attempt to avoid looking the aloof professor in the eyes. "If I'm ever gonna get any practice in, I'd rather do it alone without anyone to judge me for it…"

"A commendable motivation…" Jeritza stepped forward to retrieve an arrow lodged in a nearby wall. "Though, I cannot say I approve of the elaborate pincushion you've made out of the arena."

"I'm sorry, I'll clean it all up right away!"

"Calm down. I will not bother you so long as you refrain from causing too much of a ruckus." Jeritza began to turn around, only to stop in his tracks halfway. "There is one thing I've noted: Simply put, you're putting far too much focus on your aim."

"Um… excuse me?"

"It's what's causing all your arrows to fly astray. Your form is actually quite exquisite, yet it always seems to fall apart at the last second, thus weakening your overall accuracy."

"Really? Wow, I never seemed to notice- " Bernadetta looked up to find that the masked professor had suddenly vanished from sight. "What the…? Did he seriously just leave in the middle of the conversation?"

"_**Oh my, doesn't that remind you of anyone?" **_

"_I'm still working on that, okay?!"_ the practicing archer protested, fully aware of the irony of her statement._ "I'm rather curious, though… Did we ever find out what happened to Jeritza after he disappeared from the monastery originally?"_

"_**Well… we all came to the conclusion that he was the Death Knight and that's it. Even so, the last we saw of him, his body was unceremoniously reduced to ash by Lysithea…"**_

"_We never did get to have a look under that helmet, huh?"_ Bernadetta pondered as she resumed gathering her lost arrows. _"He is a lot nicer than I would have expected, I'll give him that much."_

* * *

"Just a little more secret spice and… perfect!" Bernadetta looked on with pride at the hearty meal she had finished preparing. "Now for the ultimate test…" she whispered with bated breath as she reached for the kitchen's ladle. Whatever concerns the girl had were quickly laid to rest after a single sip of the stew she'd created, which even seemed to send a brief jolt of energy through her body upon its consumption.

"Mm… it's good to know my cooking skills haven't deteriorated over the years." Bernadetta confidently assured herself as she took hold of the pot and prepared to serve its contents to her myriad of hungry classmates. "Yikes, this is heavier than it looks… I'd better be-"

"Hiya, Bernie! What are you making there?" an overly cheerful voice suddenly greeted from behind, inadvertently causing the lilac haired girl to yelp in surprise as she lost her grip on her pot and poured its steaming contents all over her uniform.

"Er… my bad. Sorry about that."

Immediately recognizing the source of this voice, Bernadetta slowly turned around to find Monica looking over her with a look of flustered concern over her face. Without saying a word, Bernadetta merely stared at the redhead with pure, unbridled contempt for a short while before snapping her fingers to undo all that had happened to her.

Having brought herself back to a point in time seconds before her unfortunate accident, Bernadetta decided to forgo her attempt at lifting the massive pot in favor of meeting her unwanted assailant head on.

"Hiya, Bernie! What are you making there?" Monica repeated her greeting in an exact echo of the past.

"I'm not letting you anywhere near it." the active chef replied with a scowl, placing herself in between Monica and her own carefully crafted meal like a human shield.

"Aw, c'mon!" the redhead dramatically pouted. "Can't I at least have a little peek at it? We've all been dying to have a taste of this for ages, right Raph?" she gestured to the eager blonde in question, who was dutifully eyeing the stew with all the desperation of a starving bear.

"Oh yeah, the wait's been torture! The smell has only gotten more intense with each passing second! It's gotta be finished by now, right Bernadetta?"

"Why, yes. Yes it is. In fact, I think there's something you might be able to help me with, Raphael." Bernadetta gestured for her large classmate to enter the kitchen with her. "Do you think you could carry that pot into the dining hall so we can start serving it to everyone? The thing weighs a ton!"

"Not a problem-" Raphael quickly rushed over to fulfill his request, but was shortly stopped in his tracks when the petite chef leaned in to whisper something into his ear.

"And whatever you do, make sure Monica doesn't come within an inch of that stew."

"Uh, why? I'm sure she's hungry too."

"Don't be fooled, Raphael! She's clearly here to sneak poison into our food while our backs are turned!"

"Wha- she wouldn't! Why, that's the most despicable thing I can ever imagine!"

"Exactly. That's why it's up to you to stop her from killing us all!" Bernadetta reassured her classmate with a thumbs up before setting him off to begin serving lunch for everyone.

"Uh, you guys realize I'm standing right here, don't you? I don't even _have_ any poison on me right now." Monica quickly reminded, tilting her head to the side in a mildly offended fashion.

"Oh, really now?" Bernadetta shot an unconvinced glare towards her redheaded contemporary. "Then would you mind telling me why you tried to sneak up on me like this? Again?"

"First of all, if I really wanted to poison everyone in this school, I totally could have done so shortly after I first arrived here." Monica casually stated in a matter of fact tone. "Secondly, I wanted to ask if I could tag along with your class on your next mission!" she cheerfully added with an excited grin.

"Wha- no! Shouldn't your class have a mission of its own too?!"

"Well yeah, but our mission is super boring! I don't just want to stand around guarding some empty ruin all day! I wanna get out there and slit some throats!" the redhead excitedly slashed her finger through the air for added emphasis.

"Well that just gives me even more of a reason NOT to bring you along!" Bernadetta sternly crossed her arms in defiance. "Besides, that decision's not even up to me. You'll have to ask my professor if you want to come along that badly."

"Oh, so that's what I needed to do? Thanks for telling me, Bernie!"

"Yeah, you can go ahead and do that…" Bernadetta watched as the other girl dashed off into the halls._ "It's not like By would even accept your request anyway."_

* * *

"Bernadetta, could you spare a moment to speak with me?"

"Oh, uh… hi, Professor! What brings you here today?" the girl in question shakily turned around from the classroom's doorway the moment Byleth approached her. "Look, if this is about my grades, I swear I've been-"

"No, not at all. In fact, your academics seem to have improved dramatically ever since you arrived in my class. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Ah, well you know… I've only learned from the best." Bernadetta breathed a sigh of relief as her face bore a faint scarlet glow from the praise.

"I don't think I can take credit for that much." Byleth humbly admitted. "After all, I haven't actually seen much of you outside of class for the past few weeks. You must have been unimaginably busy."

"Has it really been that long? I'm... sorry if I've been actively avoiding you all this time. There's been a lot on my mind lately."

"In that case, do you think you could join me for tea later this evening? I'm sure that would help to put your mind at ease."

"I was really hoping we could…" Bernadetta's face froze in realization, still processing her professor's invitation within her head. "You… you're inviting me to tea?" she asked, receiving a silent nod in response. "Er, yes! Yes, I love y- I mean, I'd love to!" the girl frantically stumbled over her words before settling on a simple nod of affirmation.

"That's wonderful. We'll meet up in the monastery's gardens as soon as it starts to get dark. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect. I'm really looking forward to it." Bernadetta felt a sudden surge of confidence with her answer. Even as her professor bade his farewells for the moment, she couldn't help but idle by the doorframe; mentally patting herself on the back for the blissful opportunity she was given.

"You've scored quite a catch there, haven't you?" a sly voice asked from around the corner, prompting Bernadetta to jump in her boots before reaching for a concealed dagger to confront the source of the mysterious voice directly.

"Whoa there, hold your horses, it's me, Claude!" the house leader threw his up his hands in a show of peace before his classmate could fully draw her weapon.

"Agh, sorry about that!" Bernadetta hastily apologized as she loosened her grip on her dagger. "I thought you were someone else for a moment."

"I'll say. You've been really on edge as of late. You're always popping a blood vessel whenever you see Monica, practicing in the training grounds when there's nobody around, swimming up to your nose in study material…"

"Er, how do you even know all that?"

"I have my ways." Claude proudly proclaimed as he rested his hands behind his head. "I _was_ planning on getting you to lighten up myself, but it looks like Teach beat me to it. You've been making some big changes ever since he came around, huh?"

"Well yeah, I kind of _had_ to improve my grades if I wanted to have any hope of staying in your class."

"I'm well aware of that deal, but there's more to it than that. You're about as good at hiding your constant staring as Dimitri every time Edelgard passes by." Claude chuckled to himself.

Bernadetta could feel her face heating up the instant she heard those words. "Wai- hold on! How do you know you're not just imagining things!?"

"I know I wasn't imagining things when I saw the way your face lit up after Teach invited you to tea just now… it was like something straight out of a fairy tale. Dare I say it was actually downright adorable."

"Gah, no it wasn't!" the shorter girl began to back away as she shriveled up in embarrassment.

"_**Don't even think about it this time!"**_

"_What else am I supposed to do?!" _Bernadetta argued againstSothis's protests before a brilliant idea flared up in her mind. "Good Goddess! There's an assassin behind you, Claude!" she suddenly shouted, adopting a fearful expression as she pointed a shaky finger towards her house leader.

"What?! Who's th-" Claude immediately turned around and gripped a hidden blade of his own, but was quickly stopped in his tracks upon hearing the familiar sound of Bernadetta's feet clattering against the stone pavement.

"…I just fell for the oldest trick in the book."

* * *

"_You know, Claude actually raises a good point."_ Bernadetta thought to herself as she made her way through the monastery's mazelike gardens_. "I've spent so much time trying to push myself back up to par that I've barely had any time to relax…"_ she continued to reminisce with each passing step.

"_This tea party should be just the thing I need. It's just gonna be me… and By… spending some nice, quality time together, just like we used to-"_ the girl's train of thought was brought to a halt upon reaching her destination. Byleth was certainly there to meet her as promised, but it was the sight of an all too familiar bundle of red hair that truly caught her attention.

"_What the hell is SHE doing here?!"_ Bernadetta mentally fumed, watching as Monica gratefully accepted a serving of tea from her professor. _"It's bad enough that she has to blatantly invade my private life, but now she's trying to steal my husband too?!"_

"_**I'm sure it's not what it looks like…"**_ Sothis calmly intervened… just as Monica boldly leaned forward to plant a light kiss on the back of Byleth's hand.

"_You were saying?!" _

"_**Perhaps it's simply a custom of her homeland. She did say she's not from Fódlan after all**_…" Sothis offered an explanation in a vain effort to calm her companion's nerves.

"_I'm not believing any of that for a second! This is completely unacceptable! That slimy, conniving, redheaded bi-"_

"Ah, Bernadetta. I was wondering when you'd join us." Byleth called out in the midst of his student's internal ranting.

"Oh, uh, hi… am I late?" the lilac haired girl timidly asked as she came out of hiding to join the gathering.

"Not at all, we've just finished setting things up."

"Right, that's a relief… would you mind telling me why Monica is here?" Bernadetta shot a sharp glare at the Black Eagle student in question.

"You wanted me to ask your professor directly if I wanted to join in on your next mission, don't you remember? So I did, and he graciously approved of my request! I'm looking forward to working with you two!"

"_Why did he accept?! Anyone can see how obviously evil she is!"_

"Please, have a seat. Monica's decided to share an Albinean Berry Blend that I'm sure you'll enjoy." Byleth gestured to an empty seat he prepared in advance.

"_Oh wow, they actually made my favorite batch? What are the odds?" _Bernadetta silently pondered as she took her seat. "Thanks! Let's… have a good time tonight, shall we?"

"Enjoy!" Monica gleefully slid a premade teacup in the direction of her uneasy compatriot.

The trio simultaneously raised their cups in the air to partake in their drinks, but Bernadetta stopped halfway upon coming up with a terrible realization in her mind. _"Wait… what if the tea is actually poisoned? Monica must have gone out of her way to discover my favorite blend and used it to try and catch me off guard!"_

"_**If you honestly believe the tea is poisoned, then how is your professor drinking it without spilling his intestines out over the table?" **_

"_Isn't it obvious? The poison is only in a single cup out of the three! That has to be why she offered me this specific one!"_ Bernadetta raised the drink up to her nose to inspect it for any unusual smells, only to come up with nothing unusual in return.

"Is something wrong with your tea, Bernadetta?" Byleth asked, a look of slight concern spreading over his face as he placed his cup down in front of him.

"Nope, there's no problem at all! It's just a bit too hot to drink…" Bernadetta nervously chuckled; blowing a light gust of air over her cup as she quickly scanned the environment around her._ "Right, Bernie… you'll only have one chance to pull this off if you want to beat her at her own game…" _

"Oh hi, Lady Rhea!" Bernadetta suddenly stood up from her seat to wave her hand out to a figure in the distance. "I don't see you out here very often!"

Then, the moment her companion's backs were turned, she swiftly switched her own cup with Monica's before sitting back down with a subtle smirk over her lips. _"Nailed it! Just like one of my favorite childhood stories!"_

"That's… just a hedge, Bernie."

"Sorry, I must be seeing things. Let's just continue as usual." Bernadetta innocently proclaimed as she raised her cup to the air in victory. _"But wait… if this is anything like that old story… she might have poisoned BOTH of our cups in advance!"_

"_**Now you're just overthinking things…"**_ Sothis let out a scoff of disbelief in response.

"_I'm not overthinking this! I know it's entirely possible for people to build up immunity to certain poisons over time! That way, Monica can safely drink from either of our cups without worry!"_ she gestured to the redhead as she took a sip from her unknowingly swapped cup. The one thing the young Ms. Varley didn't expect, however, was for her rival to erupt into a violent coughing fit the moment she swallowed her drink.

"_That's it! I knew it was poisoned all along! "_

Byleth immediately rose from his chair out of concern, but Monica quickly held up a hand to reassure him. "Ooh man, that went right down the wrong pipe… I hate it when that happens."

"You alright there, Monica?" Bernadetta asked, showing at least a slight degree of sympathy for the amount of pain her fellow student was in. "Is there anything… unusual in your tea, or…?"

"No, that's just what happens when I drink too quickly. Thanks for asking, though!" Monica quickly returned the question with a cheery smile.

"_**This is getting embarrassing… Just hurry up and try your stupid tea already! If it really is poisoned, I can always just undo the effects!"**_

"_Oh yeah… I kind of forgot about that in the heat of the moment…"_ Bernadetta sheepishly admitted as she finally decided to take a proper sip of her tea. Much to her delight, the brew was truly untampered with, and seemed to taste just as wonderful as she had remembered it.

"See Professor, I knew she'd love it!" Monica happily proclaimed upon witnessing the look of joy in her purple haired companion's eyes.

"Indeed she does. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Bernadetta."

"You know, you kinda remind me of a friend of mine, Bernie." Monica mused aloud. "She loves tea parties just as much as you do!"

"Is that so?" Bernadetta asked, her interest piqued as she continued to enjoy her drink.

"Yeah, you actually look kind of similar too! Though she's probably close to half your age and height, and her hair wasn't nearly as messy either..."

"Hey, I take good care of this style!"

"Aw, and you've even got the same little pout whenever you're upset! That's so adorable!" Monica beamed another cheerful smile before turning to Byleth with her now empty cup. "Could I have a refill, please? This stuff really does taste like paradise."

Naturally, the professor was quick to comply with the request. Yet just as she about to accept her refill, Monica shot a quick look towards Bernadetta before planting another kiss on Byleth's hand.

"_Did you see that!? She just winked at me! She knows exactly what she's doing!"_

"_**Please try to cool down. This is hardly the best time to start coming up with methods to murder her..."**_

"_You're right… she deserves worse! I should tie her up in a sack and hang her from the bottom of a burning bridge!"_ Bernadetta mentally fumed, her displeasure only growing greater as the smug expression on Monica's face continued to remain.

"Ah, Professor…" a new voice suddenly greeted in the midst of Bernadetta's homicidal brainstorming session. "I hope I'm not intruding on anything at the moment."

"That's not a problem, Seteth." Byleth rose from his seat to address his fellow instructor directly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Why yes, there has been a change of plans in regard to your class's upcoming mission. We've just received word that a caravan of supplies is planning to cross through Zanado to deliver their load to the monastery. We'll need you and your class to arrive by the end of this week to act as their escorts. There's no doubt that the bandits there will mount a raid on the caravan the instant they set foot in the canyon."

"_**That's strange… I don't remember having to escort a caravan on Byleth's first official mission…"**_

"_Really? I know I wasn't there to see it myself the first time around, but why the sudden change…?"_

"Ooh, does this mean we'll get to start stabbing people even earlier now?!" Monica excitedly leaped out of her chair. "I knew it'd be a good idea to come along with you guys! I can't wait to start gutting those dirty thieves like a pile of chopped lamb!" the redhead cried out in glee, eliciting a number of concerned stares from everyone around her.

"Right… it's reassuring to know that your subordinates won't be short on enthusiasm for the coming mission." Seteth uncomfortably remarked as he turned his attention to the students present. "Ah, and Bernadetta. I'd like to congratulate you on the considerable growth you've undergone over the past few weeks."

"Thank you for the kind words… I'll be sure to keep up the hard work."

"I see you've even gone out of your way to make new friends… questionable as some of those choices may be."

"_I am not friends with that psychopath_!" Bernadetta mentally added as Seteth began to walk off into the distance. "Professor…" she turned to face Byleth. "Could you remind me why you thought it would be a good idea to bring this girl along again?"


	7. Chapter 6: Skies of a Strange Land

The plan was simple, at least in theory. The class was once again broken up into two separate groups: the first would comprise of a small team of four that would set out in advance, taking the long way around the canyon to personally accompany the oncoming caravan en route to Zanado. Meanwhile, the rest of the class would lie in wait near the canyon's entrance, ready to spring themselves onto the unsuspecting bandits from behind the moment they set out to make their raid.

It's a perfectly reasonable strategy… yet at the same time, Bernadetta couldn't help but question why she was part of the vanguard team along with Monica.

"I understand your concerns over her… unique mental state, but Claude and I agreed that Monica's skillset would make her a perfect fit for the advance guard." Byleth quietly explained as he walked alongside the enormous trail of supply wagons. "It should also allow me the opportunity to keep a closer eye on her in case of an emergency." he added with a voice barely above a whisper.

"I guess that's reassuring…" Bernadetta reluctantly agreed. "But the whole idea still makes me feel uneasy…"

"I can't help but feel the same way… yet we're going to need all the help we can get if this supply trail wants any hope of making it through the canyon in one piece."

The entire caravan had already been outfitted with a number of guards courtesy of the church, but it was all too clear that they didn't have enough manpower to cover all the potential holes in their defenses either. All Bernadetta could do was sigh and bear it as she continued to follow the path to Zanado.

Not long after, a loud rumbling noise originating from within one of the wagons quickly attracted the young archer's attention. When she instinctively rushed over to investigate, she was hardly surprised to find Monica holed up inside, rummaging through a large supply crate without a care in the world.

"What do you think you're doing in there? You're supposed to be standing guard over the wagons, not robbing them like the common thieves we're supposed to be protecting them from!"

"We've been on this dumb trail for hours on end; can you blame me for getting bored?" Monica defended herself as she continued to dig through the crate. "I'm just dying to sink my knife into _something's_ flesh at this point…" she loudly moaned, much to Bernadetta's visible discomfort.

"Not to worry, miss." a nearby guard shortly informed the students. "These supplies are all meant to be distributed to the monastery anyway. If you find anything of use in there, you're free to keep it for yourselves if you want."

"That doesn't sound like such a smart business plan…" Byleth dryly commented as he walked over to inspect the commotion. "I don't suppose you've found anything of interest, Monica?"

"Oh, you bet! This entire wagon is full of goodies from my homeland! We've got the latest chapter of Gambler Jack, a bunch of pricey trinkets… ooh, I bet you'll like this, Bernie! Catch!" Monica suddenly announced before throwing a miscellaneous item into her companion's unsuspecting hands.

"Whoa, hold on a minute…!" Bernadetta yelled in surprise, having nearly fumbled her new gift out of her hands. "It's a… crossbow?"

"Pretty neat, right? And it's not just for shooting arrows either!" Monica remarked just as a concealed blade erupted from underneath the weapon, mere inches in front of its recipient's face. "Quick word of advice? You might wanna avoid pointing that thing at your head."

"You could have warned me earlier…"

"Such a wonderfully ornate design…" Marianne voiced her admiration as she joined up with the rest of her group. "Where was this from, exactly?"

"It's just a standard weapon of choice for the agents of the church from back home."

"I had no idea the Church of Seiros's influence extended so far outside of Fódlan…" Byleth mused aloud, having had little experience with the religion himself.

"Oh no, it's definitely not the same church you guys are familiar with. In fact, it's not exactly easy to travel to and from Fódlan to begin with."

"Really? Aside from sheer distance, is there anything out there preventing people from simply sailing out to sea?" Bernadetta wondered with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"That's not too far from the truth, actually." Monica chuckled to herself in amusement before sitting down by the edge of the wagon as if she was about to tell a campfire story. "Tell me; have any of you guys ever heard of the Veil of Fódlan?"

"That's the first time I've heard of it. Is it anything like Fódlan's Throat over in the Alliance?" Bernadetta was quick to recall the very centerpiece of Claude's future motivations.

"Hm, sort of. In short, any and all ships that attempt to leave the waters of Fódlan will always somehow find themselves sailing right back to Fódlan, regardless of what direction or how far they traveled… That's assuming they don't mysteriously disappear at sea along the way."

"That sounds like the divine retribution of the Goddess at play…" Marianne fearfully muttered.

"I dunno what your Goddess has against free travel, but that sure makes it a pain for me to go back and see my family whenever I want!"

"_**How very strange…"**_ Sothis wondered aloud at the details of Monica's story._** "Was I truly responsible for this phenomenon in some fashion?"**_

"_You mean you don't remember?"_

"_**I'm afraid my memories of my time a thousand years ago are still a blur, even now…"**_

"This has been a truly fascinating tale, but there is one thing that's been bothering me…" Byleth raised a hand to his chin as he looked Monica directly in the eye. "If this Veil is as big of a problem as you say it is, then how were you able to visit your home after you vanished from the monastery last year?"

"Ah, you still remember that, huh?" Monica returned the professor's stare with a cheerful blink. "We have discovered one method of travel between Fódlan and my homeland in recent years, and it involves following an extremely precise route from one point to another." she explained, using her finger to draw out the route in question on the floorboards of the wagon. "Even then, the rate of success is still abysmally low for my tastes…"

"_**I believe this may warrant further investigation after we return to the monastery…"**_ Sothis commented, her interest fully piqued by the details of Monica's story.

"Hold!" the voice of the caravan's leader rang out from across the distance, prompting the entire traveling party to stop in their tracks.

"It appears we've arrived at the entrance to the canyon…"Byleth noted as he readied his blade in anticipation. "Everybody, let's brace ourselves for action!"

* * *

"It's quiet… too quiet."

"You can't just say that out loud, Marianne!" Bernadetta hastily warned her blue haired classmate. "That's just an open invitation for the bandits to jump out and ambush us when we least expect it!"

"I'm pretty sure your panicked screaming is gonna have the same effect, Bernie." Monica commented with an amused shrug as the group continued to march through the seemingly empty canyon.

"Er, sorry…"

The very sight of the ruins surrounding them in every direction left a pit in Bernadetta's stomach. Armed with the knowledge that this canyon was the site of a bloody massacre in ages past, she couldn't help but cringe in hindsight at the signs that still remained. Bits of ruined architecture were strewn about every which way, there were few signs of life to be found for miles on end, and she could almost see faint marks of crimson lining the stone walls of the canyon out of the corner of her eye.

"_**It's best not to dwell on such grim thoughts. All that has transpired here can never be undone." **_Sothis reminded with a sorrowful tinge to her voice.

"_I know… though it's still pretty hard to ignore the truth once it's come to light."_ Bernadetta solemnly concluded._ "…Do you think it's possible that-"_

"_**No." **_Sothis sharply cut in before her companion could fully form her question._** "Like a snake devouring its own tail, the Agarthan's own actions are what lead to their ultimate downfall. Of that, I can say for certain."**_

The party eventually came to a halt upon nearing a more open area of the canyon, housing what appeared to be the remains of a small city.

"This looks like an obvious spot for a trap if I've ever seen any…" Byleth dryly commented as he drew his blade and set out in front of the caravan. "You should refrain from entering the city until we've made sure it's cleared of hostiles. It should be impossible for anyone to have followed us on such a narrow trail, but I'll need your guards to remain by the wagons just in case." he directed the caravan's leader before turning his attention to his accompanying students. "I'll go in first to try and draw the enemy's attention. Bernadetta, Marianne, the moment I initiate combat, I'll need you two to use that signal flare you've been working on to alert our team on the other end."

"What about me?" Monica excitedly jumped out in front of her professor to grab his attention. "I'm ready to see some intestines on the ground!"

"I'd suggest you keep yourself out of sight until the enemy comes rolling along. That should allow you to take some of them out before they can get their bearings."

"Oh ho ho, I've been waiting for this!" Monica quietly cheered as she scurried off to find a hiding place for the coming ambush.

"If that girl even thinks about hurting him…" Bernadetta whispered in apprehension as she tightened her grip on her bow.

"_**Not in front of witnesses, she won't…"**_

As a deathly silence began to linger in the air, Byleth proceeded to set out into the ruined city before him, all while his young purple haired student looked on with apprehension. Sure enough, like moths to a flame, it didn't take long before a pair of bandits leaped out from behind the rubble to strike at the professor the moment he came near. A single precise swing of the Azure Demon's blade was all it took to send their bodies tumbling to the ground before they could even attempt to land a blow.

The fall of their front line immediately prompted an entire slew of bandits to emerge from further within the city, all with their eyes set directly on the wagon of goods behind the professor. Two trios of bandits approached from the east and the west, hoping to overwhelm the lone mercenary with a pincer attack. Yet in the blink of an eye, the western group was swiftly and mercilessly cut down by Monica, who leaped out from the shadows to slice open their throats in quick succession, giggling like a madwoman all the while.

"B- Bernadetta, the signal!"

"Right, let's do this!" the archer affirmed, aiming her bow for the skies as her blue haired classmate focused all the magical energy she could muster into the weapon. Together, they let loose a single arrow towards the heavens that promptly exploded in a mesmerizing burst of holy magic that could undoubtedly be seen for miles on end.

"Watch my back, Marianne. I'm heading in to support the professor!" Bernadetta sternly ordered, readying her weapons as she bolted towards the city with a newfound look of determination.

"W- wait for me! Please be careful in there!"

Upon arriving by the entrance to the ruins, Bernadetta was promptly greeted by a pair of warriors rushing towards her with battleaxes in hand. Without missing a beat, the lilac haired student fired a single arrow in the direction of her aggressors, piercing the heart of one unlucky bandit as his body collapsed to the ground face first.

This left his partner with just enough time to for a vain attempt to close in and swing his axe at the student before them, a maneuver that was easily avoided by a simple backstep from Bernadetta. Seizing the opportunity, the girl proceeded to activate the hidden blade of her new crossbow and slashed it across her foe's chest, eliciting a piercing cry of pain as the bandit's weapon clattered to the ground. Bernadetta then finished the job by firing two quick crossbow bolts into the wound she had already created.

"I suppose I've stopped caring about this sort of thing after so long…" the archer dryly commented as she watched the bandit's body collapse to the ground. In the next moment, a thief brandishing a scimitar followed in the wake of his fallen comrades. Though fully prepared to take aim at her newest opponent, Bernadetta yelped in surprise as a knife whizzed past her head to strike the oncoming thief in the throat before he could even come close.

"Saved your life! Now you owe me one!" came the cheerful call of Monica as Byleth moved in to regroup with his students, having just finished off his own skirmish.

"Yeah, thanks…" Bernadetta unenthusiastically relayed her gratitude before turning her attention to her professor. "Marianne and I just sent the signal. How long will it take for friends to arrive?"

"I believe they've situated themselves a fair distance from here. We'll have to hold out for a while until-" Byleth's orders halted as a peculiar whistling sound ringed through the air. "We need to get to cover, now!"

"Huh?" Bernadetta looked up to the sky and her eyes widened in realization when she caught wind of an enormous ballista arrow speeding in her direction. Instinctively, she ducked down just in time for the arrow to harmlessly land on the ground behind her. Yet before she could breathe a sigh of relief, another arrow was already speeding right for the girl, forcing her to throw her body to the ground to avoid being skewered alive.

"How in the world did those bandits manage to sneak two ballistae into this canyon?!" Bernadetta grumbled in frustration while she struggled to stand herself back up.

"It's a good thing we kept the caravan outside the city, but this could easily spell trouble for Claude's group when they finally arrive…" Byleth grimly noted as another wave of bandits began to close in on their position.

"Oh, then Bernie and I will volunteer to take them both out for you!"

"Speak for yourself, Monica! I never consented to any- hey, don't just run off on your own!" Bernadetta shouted in dismay as the redhead darted off into the further reaches of the ruined city.

"It looks like that decision's already been made for you, Bernadetta. Marianne and I can hold off the bandits over by the entrance, but it's up to you to keep an eye on our new friend."

"Alright, Professor." the lavender haired archer reluctantly agreed, taking a moment to notch another arrow into her bow in anticipation of the wild chase that was sure to ensue. _"Please keep him safe for me, Marianne…"_

A great number of fresh corpses lined along the roads on the western side of the city, making for a fairly convenient makeshift trail for Bernadetta to follow in her pursuit of her fellow redheaded student. The girl's full sprint inevitably attracted the attention of a few lingering bandits along the way, though they were all shortly dispatched with some well-placed arrows before they could manage to come too close.

The sound of a thief wailing in pain was a sure sign that Bernadetta had finally caught up with Monica, as the latter had found herself surrounded by a small gathering of enemies, not too far away from the ballista she had hoped to get rid of. Reluctantly, the purple haired archer fired an arrow into the back of one thief's head whilst they were all too focused on Monica to notice her presence.

"Aw, thanks Bernie! I knew you cared deep down!" Monica cheerfully voiced her appreciation as she narrowly ducked underneath the swing of a warrior's axe.

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter!" Bernadetta replied with an arrow in the head of another thief.

The remaining thieves promptly split themselves up to deal with both girls at once. The familiar sound of a ballista firing rang through the student's ears in the midst of their skirmish, yet for reasons unknown, the device fired in the opposite direction of the caravan this time around.

"Hey, I think I can see Claude with the rest of our class out in the distance!" Monica quickly noted as she slashed open the throat of an exhausted thief. "But it looks like there's a raised drawbridge separating them from the city here!"

"_It's probably too far away for us to reliably make it over on foot…"_ Bernadetta mentally assessed the situation as her crossbow's blade pierced through the back of a bandit who had embedded his axe in a nearby wall. "Do you think you could clear that ballista for me? I might be able to force the bridge down with it!"

"Good thinking, Bernie! I'll off the vermin operating it right away!" Monica readily agreed with the proposed plan as she rushed off gripping a knife between her teeth like a hyperactive housecat.

"W- wait! I surrender! I'm unarmed! GAAAH!"

"The coast is clear, hotshot!" Monica gleefully waved over to her purple haired companion. "You do know how to use this thing, right?"

"_Oh, you know, I only had to use one to shoot at my old friends five years from now."_ Bernadetta cynically monologued as she took aim towards the raised bridge. "All I have to do is cut down the rope holding the drawbridge up and the rest of the class should be free to swarm in and clean house. This should be easy enough."

"I just need to set the proper trajectory and… FIRE!" Bernadetta screamed out as she launched the device's arrow high into the air… only for it to anticlimactically drop into the canyon below. _"Uh… that was a bit too high. Let me try that one again."_

In the blink of an eye, the archer had undone her previous misfire and was left preparing for another shot as if nothing had happened. "I just need to aim a little lower and… NOW!"

…

"Ah, that's too low, that's too low! I almost hit Claude with that one!" the serial time traveler loudly panicked before triggering another Divine Pulse to readjust her trajectory.

"_**I'd like to take a moment to remind you that my powers are far from limitless."**_

"_I know, I know… third time's the charm, right?" _Bernadetta took a little longer to scrutinize her aim before finally launching the ballista's arrow once again. Lo and behold, this shot had managed to strike its target dead on, piercing right through drawbridge's rope and creating a safe passage for the rest of her class to enter the ruins with.

"Whoo hoo! Good shot Bernie, you're a natural!" Monica applauded her companion's efforts as she witnessed Claude's group storm the ancient city.

"Yeah… I totally got it right the first time." Bernadetta felt a drop of sweat roll down her cheek as she turned her attention to the ballista on the other side of the city. "Now I've just got one more thing to take care of-"

A familiar flash of colors suddenly weaved through the archer's eyes before she could finish her sentence, leaving her briefly dazed as her mind scrambled to process what just happened.

"_What in the world just…?_

"_**Are you simply trying to show off now?"**_

"_No, it wasn't me this time! I swear I didn't turn back the clock again!"_

"_**If it wasn't you, then…"**_ Sothis quickly paused upon coming to a startling conclusion._** "Oh my. It seems this situation may be far more complicated than I initially expected."**_

"Hey, uh… how long does it usually take you to line up a shot with one of these things?" Monica lightly tapped her fellow student on the shoulder to grab her attention, briefly causing her to jump in her boots on contact.

"Sorry, I just spent a little too long concentrating…" Bernadetta quietly apologized before launching out another arrow, which as luck would have it, actually managed to cut through the rope once more.

"Whoo hoo! Good shot Bernie, you're a natural!" Monica repeated the same words of congratulations she had just uttered moments ago, at least from her companion's point of view.

"I'm just glad I got it right this time…"

"Now we've just gotta take care of-" Monica came to a sudden pause as she caught wind of another enormous arrow sailing through the air. "On second thought, we might wanna get out of here right now!" the redhead hastily announced, forcibly pulling Bernadetta away from the ballista just before the device was crushed to pieces by the ensuing impact.

"Well, there goes that strategy…"

"No worries, I'll I bet I could take down the other one myself in record time now that the enemy's distracted. Wish me luck!" Monica cheerfully waved goodbye to her fellow student before darting off into the ruined city once again.

"_**As long as that's taken care of… you should probably check up on your professor right away."**_

Bernadetta simply nodded in response before making another desperate sprint for the other end of the ruined city. If Byleth had truly felt the need to trigger a Divine Pulse of his own, that could only mean that he'd run into some sort of trouble earlier. Sure enough, when the lilac haired archer had finally arrived at her destination, she found the Marianne and the caravan's guards embroiled in a struggle against another squadron of bandits, while Byleth himself was engaged in single combat with the bandit's leader.

All of this was frankly to be expected, given how long it took for Claude's reinforcements to arrive, but what really threw Bernadetta for a loop was the sight of a large red gash across her professor's chest.

"Was that… was that because of me?" the archer couldn't help but wonder aloud as she immediately recalled her earlier Divine Pulse shenanigans. Though completely involuntary, Bernadetta's breathing quickly became labored and her eyes nearly bloodshot as the injury on Byleth's chest brought back vivid images of the impalement wound that took his life in the future.

"_**Have faith in your professor."**_ Sothis softly whispered in an effort to comfort her companion. _**"We both know him well enough to understand that a mere bandit cannot take him down so easily." **_she stated just as Byleth had relieved the foe of his weapon, as if right on cue.

"Yet that's exactly what got him killed before…!" Bernadetta muttered under her breath as she drew her bow on the bandit leader, who had fallen to his knees and was left begging for mercy from the Ashen Demon. Though he was fully prepared to execute the man himself, Byleth was quite surprised to find an arrow lodging itself into the back of Kostas's neck before he could do so.

"Professor!" Bernadetta called out with a slight tinge of fear as she ran over to speak with him directly. "Are you okay?! Gods, that cut looks a lot bigger up close…"

"There's no need for concern, Bernadetta. It's nothing Marianne's magic can't patch up." Byleth calmly explained as he leaned forward to affectionately pat his pupil on the head. "It seems you and Monica performed quite admirably out there. The rest of the class may not have arrived when they did without you."

"Ah, well, you know…" Bernadetta's cheeks immediately flushed in embarrassment from her professor's kind gesture.

"Come along, now. The battle may be nearing its end, but we'll still have plenty of work left to do after this."

"R- right! I'll… keep helping as much as I can!"

"That's all I can ask for."

* * *

With the bandits successfully routed, the scheduled caravan was met with no further troubles as it travelled the path to Garreg Mach alongside the students of the Golden Deer house. The sun had already begun to set by the time they reached their destination, yet much to their collective dismay, the students were subsequently tasked with aiding to unload the myriad of supplies from within the wagons before the day was fully up.

"Ugh, I just want to be back in my room now…" Bernadetta sighed in exhaustion, looking up to at the sky as she hunched over by a nearby wall to rest her weary bones.

…

"I think you were pretty awesome out there today, Bernie!"

"Agh! What in the- can you stop sneaking up on me like that, Monica?!"

"You didn't notice me waving right in front of you? You're not about to keel over on us, are you?"

"It's awfully tempting…" Bernadetta painfully groaned as the redhead sat down right next to her. "I can't believe you're still full of energy after everything that happened today…"

"Oh no, I'm just as puckered out as you are." Monica sarcastically commented with a slight giggle. "I've actually got something I wanted to show you here!" she eagerly announced as she began to aggressively rummage through her pockets. "You remember that friend of mine I told you about the other day, right?"

Bernadetta tiredly nodded in affirmation.

"Well, check this out! I just got a letter from her delivered by Tomas a little while ago!" the redhead excitedly continued, pulling out a lavishly decorated envelope to present to her exhausted colleague.

"Oh, that's nice. How long has it been since you've heard from her?" Bernadetta curiously asked as she watched Monica tear into the envelope with a spare knife.

"I'm sure it must have been at least a year at this point, but with the Veil in place, there's no telling how long this actually took to arrive…" Monica contemplated for a short while before reaching inside to grab the letter in question.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bernadetta saw what appeared to be a small portrait tumble out face down onto the stone pavement as Monica casually tossed the envelope to the side. Upon leaning forth to get a closer look at the strange picture, the lilac haired girl was rather shocked to find a young child staring right back at her with bright, golden eyes. The sheer detail of the picture before her was rather outstanding, to say the least. The child bore a playful smile on her face as she stood before a grand luxurious manor. She was clutching a black stuffed rabbit in her hands, garbed in a vibrant white dress, and adorned with a petite black ribbon in her hair, which even shared the same violet hue with Bernadetta.

"Oh nice, she even sent a picture too!" Monica excitedly leaned over Bernadetta shoulder to get a closer look at the photograph in her hands. "See, I told you she looked a lot like you!"

"No kidding… the resemblance is a little too uncanny." Bernadetta's gaze lingered on the child's eyes for a moment longer before she slipped the picture into Monica's hands.

"Uh huh! And I've noticed how your entire demeanor changes when in battle too!"

"Er, I don't know what you're talking about there…"

"Well, how else can you explain such a drastic transformation from a timid schoolgirl to a cold hearted killing machine? Though even that's nothing compared to how wild my little friend can be whenever she gets into a killing spree!"

"C- cold hearted?!" Bernadetta glared at Monica with a mildly offended expression before continuing. "You can't honestly expect me to believe this little girl is a seasoned killer, can you?"

"Hey now, you haven't seen anything until you've witnessed her cleave a fully armored knight in half with her massive scythe!

"Now I'm having an even harder time believing you…"

"Monica?" an aging voice called over to the pair before the redhead could reply. "I do hope you're not expecting a frail old man to carry such a massive crate all the way to the library on his lonesome."

"Oh, uh, I'm coming, Tomas!" Monica instantly rose up from the ground, sounding a little less confident than usual upon noticing the presence of the old librarian. "Duty calls! I'll see you around, Bernie!'

"Yeah, you too Monica…" Bernadetta lazily bade farewell as the redhead rushed off to aid Tomas.

"_I don't know what this girl is trying to accomplish with all these talks… but at least it's a nice change of pace from blatant home invasion."_


	8. Chapter 7: Cradle Where Feelings Rest

"_Mother… Mother, where you taking us?" a young Bernadetta fearfully asked as she struggled to retain a firm grip on the hand grasping hers._

"_I'm taking us to a better place, dearest." the mother simply replied, refusing to look her daughter in the eyes as the pair rushed through an endless series of dark roads coated under pouring rain._

"_A- a better place? What does that even mean?" Bernadetta barely stuttered, her breath growing more staggered over the course of the strenuous sprint she had been forced to endure throughout the night. "I feel like I'm about to die… I just want to go back home, Mo-"_

"_It's too dangerous for us to remain at home any longer!" the mother loudly snapped, prompting a brief yelp of terror from the younger girl in response. Feeling a sharp pang of guilt over her outburst, she brought their desperate escape to a brief halt to take shelter beneath a nearby overpass. "Your father has fallen into a… difficult situation as of late."_

"_He has? Does… does that mean he's coming along with us too?"_

"_No… I'm afraid it will be too dangerous for him to join us on this journey."_

"_But why…?" Bernadetta's already downtrodden expression dropped even further. "Does he… no longer love me?"_

"_No, sweetheart." the mother slowly bent down to cup her child's face in her hands. "It is precisely because of your father's love that he wants you to have a chance at a better life that he can no longer hope to provide for you. "_

"_It's… because of me that…" Bernadetta's voice began to break apart as her mind came to a dark realization._

"_Please, do not blame yourself for circumstances out of your control. You're a good child, and I never want you to think otherwise." the mother enveloped the petite lilac haired girl in a tight embrace. "Together, we will flee as far away from this land as humanly possible. All so that you can be raised well… all so you can grow into a fine, respectable adult one of these days…"_

"_I… I… I don't know if I can do that…"_

"_I know you will. I'm sure of it." the mother's embrace grew ever tighter. "For I will be there to watch you grow every step of the way… I promise."_

* * *

A gentle tap to the shoulder was all it took to rouse Bernadetta from her deep slumber, eliciting a loud shriek of terror as the girl hastily rose her head up from the open book she was inadvertently using as a pillow.

"_**Another flashback, I presume?" **_Sothis curiously asked as her companion attempted to regain her bearings.

"_No… no, I don't remember experiencing anything in that dream at all… I couldn't have." _

"There are better places to take a nap than in the middle of the library, you know." A familiar, soothing voice warned from behind, prompting Bernadetta to turn her head to find Byleth calmly looking down upon her.

"Agh! P- professor!" the young student rose up from her seat in a panic. "You didn't come here just to check on me, did you?"

"This is hardly the first time I've been sent to receive an overzealous student in the aftermath of an all-night study session… though normally, I'd expect to be having this conversation with Linhardt instead of you, Bernadetta."

"Sorry… I just had something I really wanted to look into lately, that's all." Bernadetta apologized, closing up the open book she had been reading over the last night.

"Beyond the Borders of Fódlan, huh?" Byleth read the book's cover aloud. "I suppose Monica's story from yesterday must have piqued your interest. Have you found anything of interest in your investigation?"

"I've barely managed to make any headway here... These books have all sorts of material on nearby nations like Almyra and Brigid, but close to nothing on anything further out to sea, let alone any mention of the Veil surrounding Fódlan."

"That's hardly the sort of knowledge the church is willing to disclose publicly, you know." an aging voice informed as the librarian Tomas emerged from the shadows to greet the pair.

"Oh, uh, Tomas…!" Bernadetta fearfully stuttered as the old care keeper came into view. "I didn't think you'd still be up at this hour!"

"_**Please, settle your nerves."**_ Sothis cautioned. _**"Tomas may be our enemy, but this may easily be our greatest opportunity to learn more of the church's inner secrets."**_

"What exactly do you mean, Tomas?" Byleth tilted his head in curiosity. "I'd assume that this library would have some sort of information on the lands outside of Fódlan."

"There's no doubt that the monastery's collection of books contains a vast wealth of knowledge from a wide array of sources, however, the higher authorities of the church have the jurisdiction to discard of any materials they may find… problematic."

"What could the church possibly have to hide on this matter?"

"Of that, I cannot say, though I do have something that may be of interest to your young student here." Tomas turned to Bernadetta to present her with an unmarked black book.

"Uh… why is the cover completely blank?"

"Consider this a simple ruse to keep it away from prying eyes." Tomas simply nodded as the young girl took the book from his hands. "I'd suggest you keep this a secret between the three of us nonetheless."

"Right, thanks. I_ really_ wouldn't want to get on the church's bad side."

"It's rather kind of you to risk your position just to help sate our curiosity." Byleth commented as the librarian began to make his departure.

"Please, think nothing of it. After all, it is a librarian's duty to act as a guide on the never-ending search for knowledge, is it not?" Tomas replied with a warm smile before turning to the door. "That said, I'd implore both of you to take your leave as soon as possible. I doubt Seteth will be quite as welcoming of your pursuits as I am."

"Well, you heard the man, Bernadetta. I'd say it's high time you got a proper night's sleep too." Byleth looked over to the young student with a look of deep concern.

"I- I've been getting sleep, Professor…!"

"That look in your eyes tells me you've barely been getting enough of it. Worse still, our class's first official mission was only yesterday, and that's not to mention the important lecture coming up tomorrow."

"You can… tell just from looking into my eyes?"

"You can tell a lot of things by staring into a person's eyes, or the windows of the soul as they're often referred to as. Take the dark circles forming around your eyes and the faint streaks of blood running beneath the surface for example."

"Er, I didn't think it was that noticeable…"

"You've just woken up from a nightmare as well. Has this been happening often?"

Bernadetta instinctively cringed at the accuracy of her professor's claims. "I- it's nothing too serious…" the purple haired student deflected as she began to make her way towards the library's exit. _"I've mostly been dreaming about you, but it would be best to leave out the details on that end…"_ she silently added just as her balance gave way, nearly causing her to collapse to the floor if it weren't for the nearby table she'd managed to catch herself on.

"That simply won't do."

"What are you- AAAAGHHH!" Bernadetta had little time to question her professor's next move before she was effortlessly lifted up into the air and firmly perched onto Byleth's back. "P- professor!"

"We can't have you collapsing on the way back to your room, or Goddess forbid, in the middle of class. Just hold on tight." Byleth calmly stated, completely unfazed by his pupil's shrieks of protest.

"D- don't you think I'm a little too old for this sort of thing?!"

"I'd also assumed you were old enough to understand that your body needs ample rest, yet here we are. Mind your head under the door frame."

Bernadetta couldn't help but groan in embarrassment as she continued to ride atop her professor's back through the empty halls. "Don't you think someone's going to see us parading around like this?! You'll ruin both of our reputations in one fell swoop!"

"Nobody else is up at this hour, though your noisy objections might just change that sooner rather than later."

Groaning in defeat, Bernadetta simply resigned herself to tightening her grip and burrowing her face into the nape of Byleth's neck to reduce her presence as much as possible. "…This actually feels rather nice."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing! Just… don't feel the need to rush. You can take your time if you want…"

"If you insist… although I may not have planned out an optimal method of bringing you down the stairs."

"Please don't drop me!" Bernadetta fearfully tightened her grip on her professor even further.

"That was a joke."

"Right, I knew that… You've really gotta work on your sense of humor, By…" the girl added under her breath.

With that, neither of the pair uttered another word on the long trek back to the student's dorms. The only sound lingering through air was the occasional deep breath of Bernadetta as she continued to cling onto her professor's back.

Though relatively content with the intimate position she'd found herself in, it still took all the self-control she could muster to resist the urge to plant a kiss onto her future lover's neck. To simply run her hand through the professor's thick teal hair without him batting an eye was the most she could reasonably pull off at this point. For once in her life, the lavender haired girl was actually hesitant to return to the safety of her room; only wishing that she could re-experience this familiar warmth forever.

"…The difference in your demeanor on and off the battlefield is rather striking." Byleth's voice eventually cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter.

"It doesn't feel all that different to me." Bernadetta nervously refuted. "I'm still the same old Bernie deep inside, you know?"

"It's pretty clear that your general anxiety doesn't exactly go away in the middle of battle. In fact, it's almost as if you're drawing upon that feeling as fuel for your resolve."

"I guess I can't deny that…"

"Yet what perplexed me the most was the cold look in your eyes I witnessed after you killed your first enemies yesterday… Those weren't the eyes of someone who had just taken a life for the first time, but those of someone who's already grown accustomed to bloodshed."

"I mean…" Bernadetta had to cover her tracks carefully at this point. "It's not like I was the only one who had some prior combat experience during our last battle. You did see the devilish glee on Monica's face while she was out slaughtering bandits, right?"

"With Monica, that hardly surprises me, but as far as you're concerned…" Byleth paused to look up at the night sky in recollection. "I've only ever seen such cold eyes from myself, and that only ever came from my many years of life bloodshed as a mercenary. I can't even begin to imagine what you must have gone through before joining the academy."

The sheer accuracy of Byleth's assessment left Bernadetta at a lengthy loss for words, one which the professor didn't dare to interrupt until the girl allowed it. "…I'll admit, this story of mine is probably really hard for anyone to believe."

"I won't pry the details out of you if you're not comfortable enough to share them yet." Byleth quietly stated as he finally came to a halt to bask in the moonlight shining down from above. "Just know that I'm willing to lend an ear whenever you might need it."

"…Thanks, Professor. I think that's just what I needed to hear."

* * *

"So I'm sure a lot of you must be wondering why we've gathered you all here today."

"Uh, yeah. I don't think these tiny classrooms were ever meant to house two classes worth of people at once, Claude." Hilda snarkily commented as she struggled to wade her way through the legion of Blue Lions students that had suddenly clamored into the room. As if the surprise visit from a squad of the Knights of Seiros wasn't already enough on its own.

"What the- somebody just tried to grab me!" Lysithea's voice suddenly protested in anger, an outburst that was shortly followed by an ear piercing slap that echoed all throughout the classroom.

"Ow! It wasn't me, Ingrid!" Sylvain loudly claimed, cradling his newly reddened cheek with his hand. "We were on opposite sides of the room!"

"Sorry, that was my bad. There's hardly enough room to breathe within this mass of human bodies." Annette raised her hands in innocence as she made a vain attempt to back away from the livid mage she'd offended.

"Gods, this is a disaster…" Bernadetta muttered from the furthest possible corner of the room, wanting to keep as far away from the commotion as possible. All the while, the two house leaders present were completely drowned out by the clamor of the audience before them as they attempted to organize their plans together.

"Could you at least try to settle your housemates down, Claude?"

"I'm pretty sure over two thirds of these folks aren't mine, Dimitri."

"Everyone! Your attention, please!" Byleth finally roared out at the top of his lungs. In a last ditch effort to grab the attention of the rowdy crowd that had gathered, he proceeded to scrape an old, rusty blade against an equally eroded suit of armor. The unbearable screeching sound that followed caused nearly everyone present to cover up their ears in pure discomfort.

"Now then… Dimitri, if you would do us the honor explaining the situation at hand."

"It would be my pleasure, Professor." the blonde house leader gratefully stated as he walked over to the front of the class. "To get right to the point, the Blue Lions and Golden Deer have been tasked with overtaking a joint operation with the Knights of Seiros to suppress a noble uprising in the western reaches of the Kingdom."

"This sounds like a rather drastic measure for dealing with a simple uprising. Why does this particular situation require such a large force, exactly?"

"It… truly pains me to tell you this, Ashe…" Dimitri started, his gaze directed away from the silver haired boy as he took in a deep breath to steel himself. "The head of this rebellion is none other than your adoptive father, Lord Lonato." he finally stated, prompting a much expected expression of shock from his younger friend in the process.

"Unfortunate as it is, insurrections against the church such as these have become increasingly common in recent years." Hanneman sorrowfully spoke up. "Under ordinary circumstances, a coup such as this would never last long enough to pose more than a minor threat to the church, but Lonato's movement has been picking up traction at an alarming pace."

"We don't know how he's doing it, but the old Lord's been cutting down swathes of knights with each passing day. There've been rumors flying around of him making use of some terrifying secret weapon to accomplish all this, but regardless, we're going to need all the hands we can get to put an end to his rampage." Claude continued on, his arms sternly crossed as he looked over the restless crowd before him.

"If the situation is really this dire…" Ignatz shakily raised a hand into the air to signal for his leader's attention. "Shouldn't the Black Eagles be coming along on this mission too? From what it seems, the Knights of Seiros must be really short on available units at the moment."

"From what I've been told, they've already been tasked with aiding a separate faction of the knights on another mission further west, though they have offered to lend a single student of theirs to aid us in our coming expedition." Byleth calmly explained.

"_Oh no, don't tell me!"_ Bernadetta couldn't help but mentally shudder in dismay at the implications of her professor's words.

"_**It seems that redhead will be following our every movement from now on**_." Sothis concluded with an exasperated sigh. _**"I'm more concerned with the increased threat of Lonato's rebellion here. The situation wasn't nearly as perilous the first time around… and so the church's first reaction is to throw as many students as it can at this raging inferno in the hopes of forcefully smothering it out? Just what is that daughter of mine thinking?"**_

"_I have a really bad feeling about all of this_…" Bernadetta lamented, her gaze slowly turning towards the adoptive son of the man their classes were set to put down._ "I still remember that remorseful look on his face like it was yesterday."_

"_**Ashe was…"**_

"_The first hostile student we encountered during the war, yes. Even though I barely knew him myself, it felt like he shared so many of the same ideals as the rest of our army, and yet…"_ Bernadetta continued to watch as the boy silently wallowed in dread at the prospect of the month's upcoming mission.

"_Ashe's death was a harsh wake-up call for all of us, especially By. I'll never forget the moment I walked in on his room, shortly after the battle at Ailell. Gods, I haven't seen him cry so freely since the death of Captain Jeralt… It was a side of himself he never wanted anyone else to see, and it only got worse with each new casualty."_

"_**Such is the brutal reality of war, but that is exactly what we are here to prevent."**_

"_Yes… yes, you're right." _Bernadetta briefly nodded in agreement as a faint spark of hope flared up in her mind._ "Tell me… was Ashe present for this mission back during our original timeline?"_

"_**Ah, it seems you may be on to something…" **_Sothis was quick to catch onto her companion's budding idea. _**"No, I believe the entirety of the Blue Lion house was occupied with a different mission at the time."**_

"_Then that's perfect! We can try to have Ashe talk some sense into his father! If all goes well, we might actually convince him to step down peacefully!"_

"_**That's not a bad concept on paper… but do you remember what the church does to those who openly take up arms against the Goddess?"**_

"_I… I'll think of something!" _Bernadetta audibly gulped at her companion's grim reminder. _"This is where I can finally start making a difference…" _she resolutely announced as her gaze lingered on the emotional centerpiece of her new plan, who was visibly struggling to hold back his tears in a secluded corner of the room. _"I have to, no matter what."_

Though the wheel of fate may have escaped the uneasy girl's hands in the days that have passed since the start of her journey, she was more determined than ever to correct its course to ensure the future she desired for everyone.


	9. Chapter 8: Recollection and Regret

With the advent of a joint operation between the Blue Lions and Golden Deer, it only seemed natural that the two houses would come together for shared classes as well. A way to tear down the walls between the students, as Claude would put it. Such sessions hardly felt any different from Byleth's usual lectures in practice, but Bernadetta appreciated the feeling of normalcy they provided all the same, given how little she'd seen of the Lions during the war.

At the very least, it was quite relieving to be able to hang around them all in a more peaceful setting. Bernadetta always thought that their two factions had no real reason to oppose each other in her original time, yet the chaos of war had other plans for them.

The difference between the future soldiers desperately fighting for their lives and the carefree students impatiently awaiting the end of a long lecture was undoubtedly striking. To that end, the individual who'd undergone the most drastic transformation was none other than their Leader Dimitri, who had somehow managed to go from the epitome of chivalry to an unhinged murder machine whose thirst for vengeance swiftly lead to his untimely demise.

The thought of what may have sparked such a radical change sent a chill through Bernadetta's spine, though the lavender haired student had little time to reflect on her thoughts before they were cut short by the familiar toll of the school bell.

A peculiar item caught the girl's eye as the rest of the combined class eagerly departed the room for the day. When she bent over to collect the abandoned object from beneath an empty desk would reveal it to be a rather sizeable novel wrapped in a smooth leathery case.

"_Say now, this was Ashe's desk, wasn't it?" _Bernadetta silently wondered as she rose up to gaze across the now empty classroom.

"_**Indeed it was. I believe this book may have slipped out of the boy's bag in all the commotion."**_

"_Oh, well I'll just hand it over to Byleth and-"_

"_**Don't be so quick to pawn off your discovery now."**_ Sothis reprimanded her companion before she could grab her professor's attention. _**"This is the perfect opportunity to engage in a proper discussion with the young Ashe."**_

"_I- can't do that! What am I even supposed to say to him?!"_

"_**You were planning to talk to the boy about his father, were you not? You can start by delivering his lost item back to him."**_

"_Yeah… yeah, that sounds easy enough. By used to do this sort of thing all the time, right?" _

"_**Ah yes, your professor had managed to garner a reputation as a mobile lost and found after only a few months of service." **_Sothis giggled in recollection._** "You could almost think that the students and faculty were misplacing their belongings on purpose just to receive a visit from him at one point."**_

"_I'll admit I might have been guilty of that myself…" _Bernadetta sheepishly recalled, twiddling her fingers together as she left the classroom in search of the owner of the missing book.

"Whoa… was the fog this bad earlier this morning?" she looked up to the sky to find her view of the sun obstructed by a thin layer of fine mist.

"_**How strange… it was barely even visible in the early hours of the dawn, and now it looks like we have just been through a massive rainstorm."**_

"_Do you think it has anything to do with Lonato's movements in the west?"_

"_**It's quite likely, though I do not remember the fog stretching out all the way to the monastery…"**_ Sothis pondered aloud. _**"It's still easy enough to see through, but you had best watch your footing if you wish to avoid running headfirst into another poor unsuspecting student."**_

"_I- I'm not just going to rush through the monastery grounds at full speed to find one guy!"_ Bernadetta scowled as she defensively crossed her arms together.

"_**Come now, it certainly wouldn't be the first time. Your professor used to sprint all across the campus like a wild bull on his many deliveries. Surely you can do the same as well?"**_

"_I only ever crashed into someone twice, alright? It was the other way around every other time! Besides, I think I might have a faint idea of where he is right now…"_

* * *

Bernadetta's hunch was proven correct when she found Ashe standing in silent prayer in the middle of the monastery's mostly vacant cathedral. One look at the boy's trembling figure was all it took to tell just how anxious he was about the upcoming confrontation with his adoptive parent.

"_Alright, I'm here, so… how am I supposed to do this?"_

"_**You can start by getting up from behind that pillar. You look like you're plotting to assassinate the poor boy."**_

"_I've never done this sort of thing before!" _Bernadetta internally retorted as she reluctantly stood herself up. _"By was the one who knew how to comfort people, not me!"_

"_**Then perhaps you should simply follow your professor's example. All you have to do is approach the lad and listen to what he has to say. The discussion should flow naturally from that point forward."**_

"_I… would have done that by now, but Ashe is clearly too busy praying to noti-"_

"Oh, hello Bernadetta! I didn't notice you there." Ashe suddenly caught wind of his fellow student's presence, causing her to briefly jolt in place. "Have you come by to pray too?"

"_Me and my big mouth!"_ the purple haired girl mentally slapped herself as she hesitantly advanced on the solitary Blue Lion. "No, I uh…" she weakly stuttered, frantically rummaging through her back while Ashe eyed her with the curiosity of a kitten. "Here, I think you dropped this in class earlier!"

"Oh. Oh my, I can't believe I let this slip my mind!" Ashe exclaimed in astonishment before gratefully receiving the enclosed book he was hastily presented with. "Thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done if I never saw this again!"

"It's no big deal, really-" Bernadetta cut her words short when she caught a slight glimpse of the novel's cover as Ashe freed it from its leathery casing. "Is that… Light of the Sacred Flame?"

"Why yes, yes it is. This was always one of many favorite childhood stories. Are you familiar with it as well?"

"Er… yeah, actually. It's been ages since I've read it, but I really fell in love with this tale ever since my uncle introduced it to me so long ago."

"Wow, that sounds wonderful!" Ashe's eyes lit up in admiration. "Your uncle sounds like a truly kind individual."

"Yeah, he really was…" Bernadetta's expression turned somber as her mind began to wander in recollection. "It's just a shame he's no longer with us…"

"Oh, my apologies, I had no idea…" Ashe solemnly bowed his head out of respect. "I'll tell you what; I'll let you keep the book for yourself for a while."

"Wha- no, I could never accept something like this! It belongs to you after all, and I'd never want to separate you from your cherished memories-"

"There's no need to worry about that, Bernadetta." Ashe quickly reassured the girl as he happily stretched out his arms to offer his book. "I've actually just finished reading this myself, and it always brings me great joy to share my favorite tales with others."

"That's… really kind of you." Bernadetta nervously conceded as she pocketed the novel for herself. "Are you really sure you want to part with this? It seems like it must have been a treasured memento from your father…"

"You're quite right about that…" Ashe paused to let out a thoughtful sigh before continuing. "These are hardly the best of circumstances, but I'll get to see Lord Lonato once more soon enough, right?"

"…He's probably going to die if he doesn't put a stop to his vendetta against the church."

"That's what I'm afraid of…"

"_Ack! What am I even saying?!"_ Bernadetta internally berated herself as she watched Ashe hang his head down in sorrow. "I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, you're not wrong." Ashe calmly interrupted. "We've all been told time and time again that those who turn their blades against the church must give their lives to repent for their sins…" the silver haired student sorrowfully lamented as he turned to face the front of the cathedral. "I just don't understand why Lonato would go through with such a thing, even knowing all the risks… and Lady Rhea… why would she send both of our classes out to execute the man, knowing full well that his own son was among them…?"

"I can't even begin to imagine…" Bernadetta quietly muttered. Every word of the boy's desperate queries sent a pang of guilt through her heart, which only grew worse with the knowledge of what Lonato's fate would be by the end of the month. "Honestly, I almost wish my own father could be the one in Lonato's place instead."

"B- Bernadetta…!" Ashe loudly gasped, a shocked expression forming across his face as he turned to respond to the girl in question. "How could you say something like that so casually?"

"_Gah, stupid Bernie! Think before you speak!"_ Bernadetta harshly berated herself while she struggled to come up with a proper excuse for her outburst. "I know that sounded bad, but-"

"These church types will just use their silly Goddess as an excuse to do whatever the hell they want." a familiar voice suddenly declared to the pair, lacking the usual playfulness most people would come to expect from it.

"Oh, uh, Monica…! How long were you watching us for?" Bernadetta hastily turned to face the Black Eagle student, who had adopted a brief expression of disgust on her face before returning to her usual upbeat demeanor.

"Oh, I was just looking to inform you that I'd be tagging along with your two classes on your big mission this month." Monica informed with a casual shrug. "Though I sure wasn't expecting to find you here of all places. You got something you're looking to repent for?"

"I figured as much…" Bernadetta breathed a sigh of dismay as the redhead continued to approach the front of the cathedral. "It's nothing, really. I was just here to have a talk with Ashe, that's all."

"Ashe? Ah, that's right. I can't pretend to know what it's like myself, but it must really suck to have to put down your old man on the battlefield, huh?" Monica offhandedly asked, causing the boy's expression to drop even lower than it already had at that point.

"Hey, don't you think that's a bit-"

"No, that's quite alright, Bernadetta. Monica actually raises a fine point. This mission just… doesn't feel right in the slightest, even if we are doing it in the Goddess's name." Ashe slowly shook his head in a mix of sorrow and confusion.

"…_**As much as it pains me to admit, I can't help but feel a great degree of guilt at all the vile acts the people of this land are willing to commit in my name…"**_

"Well now, it's good to know that some of you Fódlan folks have some common sense to go around!" Monica happily stated with a slight tilt of her head.

"Er, thanks, I guess…?"

"Monica, are you sure we should be having this discussion in public? We could all get out heads chopped off if anyone catches us badmouthing the Goddess like this!" Bernadetta quickly cut in, her voice full of panic as she scanned the area around her for any potential witnesses.

"Relax Bernie; I made sure no one else was around to eavesdrop on us. If you ever wanted to spit on the Goddess's name without the fear of retribution, now's the time to do it!"

"_**I do hope you realize that I'll be listening to your every word on the matter."**_

"Er, no thanks, I think I'll pass on that offer… I'm just more concerned with Ashe and Lonato at the moment. Has… your father ever told you anything about this plan while you were still living in Castle Gaspard?"

"No, I'm afraid not. He must not have wanted to involve me or siblings in this whole affair." Ashe shook his head, clearly deep in thought as he began to ponder the motivations behind his adoptive parent's rebellion.

"Why don't you just try asking him yourself?" Monica simply offered. "I've got a carrier pigeon I can lend you that could make it all the way through the fog before the day is up if you're willing to write a letter for him."

"Wow, would… you really do that for me?"

"Sure I will. There's no guarantee you'll convince him to stand down, but it wouldn't hurt to try, right?"

"Yeah… yeah, I think you should do that, Ashe, but… why are you suddenly so eager to help us out, Monica?" Bernadetta turned to the mysterious student with a look of genuine confusion. "I thought you would have relished the chance to participate in another of your big killing sprees."

"Hey now, I may be an indiscriminate murderer, but I'm an indiscriminate murderer with a heart! There are plenty of folks out there who deserve to get stabbed more than Ashe's old man, and I've really started to see some kindred spirits in you guys."

"_I don't think this girl knows what the word indiscriminate means…"_

"Thank you so much, both of you!" Ashe bowed his head in gratitude before excitedly rushing out of the cathedral at full speed. "I'm gonna get started on the letter right away! There's so much I need to say to him, and so little time to prepare!"

"Best of luck, Ashe! You're probably gonna need it!" Monica bade farewell to the silver haired boy as he dashed out the door. "So Bernie, it sounded like you've got some daddy issues of your own too. Want me to go slit Count Varley's throat for you?"

Bernadetta couldn't help but blink in disbelief at the girl's nonchalant offer, leaving the two in the midst of an awkward silence as she attempted to process what she just heard. "I er… appreciate the offer, but I've gotta get going too!" the purple haired girl nervously announced before quickly following off in Ashe's footsteps.

"Alright, I guess I'll be seeing you, then! Oh, and Edie sends her regards too!" Monica loudly waved goodbye to her unwilling friend as she bolted out the door like a startled cat.

"_**What in the world was that about?"**_ Sothis questioned as her companion scurried across the bridge of the cathedral.

"_I have no idea! I can never guess what's going on in that girl's head half the time!"_

"_**Well, at we know she's willing to help us out, albeit for reasons unknown."**_

"_That's what's worrying me the most right now…" _

"_**Warranted as your concerns may be, it would be best if you make use of her aid for as long as it lasts. I'm rather curious to learn more about her clear sense of disdain for the followers of the church myself."**_

"_That's assuming she's not making any of this up, at least…"_

* * *

"…_**I thought your professor warned you against staying up all night like this." **_

"_Hey, at least I don't have to worry about passing out in public if I'm in my own bed."_ Bernadetta responded to the Goddess's sigh with a haughty huff. _"Besides, there's nothing wrong with some light midnight reading. I used to do this all the time back in the manor."_

"_**If this is what you consider light reading, I shudder to think of what a full session would entail…"**_

"_Gee, I'm sorry if I can't help myself. It's been so long since I've read any of my favorite childhood stories, and I just can't get enough of this one!" _Bernadetta hotly protested as shed continued to turn the pages of Ashe's novel.

"_**I'd like to think that the book Tomas gave you would be more important in comparison. You've hardly even started on it…"**_ Sothis groaned as she peered over her companion's shoulder to get a closer look at the tale that she was enthralled by. _**"What do you even see in this story, anyway? The main character seems like such an insufferable brat!"**_

"_I bet you'd be upset too if you were suddenly thrown halfway across the world after being confined to a manor for seven years." _Bernadetta confidently retorted._ "Sure, he can be really whiny at times, and he's got all the common sense of a brick wall, but he really manages to go through some remarkable development over time." _

"_**My, you certainly know a lot about this tale. I must admit, the ideas it presents have caught my intrigue as well."**_

"_What can I say? I just really love these kinds of stories. I'd spend all day parsing through this if I had the time. I always find myself relating to the characters in the most unexpected ways. Come to think of it, the main antagonist of the setting kind of reminds me of Edelgard…"_ Bernadetta continued to gush over her memories of the tale before putting a metaphorical foot in her mouth. _"Oh, but wait, we haven't gotten that far yet! I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you!"_

Bernadetta happily proceeded to turn to the next page, only for her happy session to be interrupted by a knock on her front door, nearly startling the girl right out of her bed. "Bwah! Who's there?!"

"Are you okay in there, Bern? It's me, Dorothea. I was hoping we could talk." the Black Eagle songstress introduced herself with a worried tone as she reached for the doorknob in front of her.

"Wait, don't try to force the door open! Not while all my traps are still active!" Bernadetta loudly warned, immediately stopping her former classmate dead in her tracks.

"Excuse me…?"

"I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but if you want to talk to me, you'll have to do so from the other side of the door! It's gonna take too long for me to disarm everything."

"Okay, that's even more worrying that I was expecting…" Dorothea mumbled to herself, unsure of what to make of the timid girl's warnings. "I was only looking to check up on you, you know."

"There's no need for concern, I- I'm totally fine, see!"

"No Bern, I can't see, there's a locked door in the way." Dorothea flatly commented. "I just can't help feeling concerned when you've been actively avoiding all your old friends ever since you switched houses. Did anyone do anything to upset you? I bet it was Ferd-"

"No, no, that's not it at all! I was never really friends with anyone in the Black Eagles to begin with!" Bernadetta instinctively blurted out, much to her immediate regret.

"Bern… that's not what you really think of us, is it…?" Dorothea asked, sounding genuinely hurt as she leaned in on the doorframe.

"Ah, no, I'm sorry, that's not it either…" Bernadetta quietly apologized. "It's… a long story, but just trust me when I say it's going to be better for all of us this way." she solemnly pleaded, the grim fates of her old classmates rushing through her mind as the girl struggled to keep eye contact with the door.

"I really don't like the sound of that… This was exactly why I wanted to accompany your classes on your next mission, yet Edie kept insisting that Monica should go instead."

"Well, that explains a lot."

"That girl unnerves me to no end…" Dorothea mused aloud before finally taking her arm off the door. "Alright, then. I'm going to take your word on this, Bern, but just know that you can always reach out your hand for the Black Eagle house to aid in whatever burden you may be carrying."

"Okay. I'll think about it."

"That's not the most convincing answer I could have hoped for, but at least it's better than nothing…"

"Sorry…" Bernadetta whispered to herself, patiently waiting as Dorothea walked off into the distance before finally slumping back into her own bed, mentally exhausted from the somber conversation she'd just finished holding.

"_**Do you truly desire to push away all your old companions in this manner?"**_

"_Nothing will change if I don't, right? If I ever let them get involved in this, I'll only have myself to blame when the inevitable comes to pass. I can't let that happen... I just can't." _the anguished time traveler morosely confessed, fully dedicated to the idea of shattering whatever relationships she once had with her former classmates for their own sakes.


	10. Chapter 9: Truths Shrouded in Fog

"I knew the fog was gonna be bad, but this… this is something else entirely."

"No kidding. I can barely see my hand in front of my face, let alone ten feet in front of me." Hilda replied in exasperation, struggling to keep Claude within her vision as their extended traveling party cautiously proceeded through the obscured plains before them.

"To think it managed to stray as far as Garreg Mach for the past couple of weeks… What could have possibly created this phenomenon?" Ashe pondered aloud, gripping his bow tightly in apprehension of the inevitable ambush that was sure to meet the group at any moment.

What began as little more than a nuisance lingering throughout the grounds of the academy rapidly grew in volume the further one traveled westward, to the point where even the light of a torch did little to dispel the mist hanging in the air. The only sight any member of this small army could properly make out was the occasional streak of red lightning off in the distance, a disturbingly familiar glow of energy that instinctively shook Bernadetta to the core.

"Regardless of the cause, we must remember to stick together at all times." Byleth cautiously reminded the myriad of students under his care. "None of you are to separate from the group under any circumstances, understood?"

"That means you especially, Monica."

"Oh, ye of little faith." the redhead in question turned to Bernadetta with a look of mock offense on her face. "No one here is stupid enough to go rushing off into the endless fog, right?"

"I'd be more concerned about keeping in such close quarters if I were you, especially when we have a wild boar flailing around." Felix smugly cut in, drawing some ire from a handful of his fellow Blue Lion classmates. "You'd all do well to keep a closer eye on your allies than your enemies, lest you end up on the wrong side of a rusted spear."

"That should not pose an issue so long as we maintain our formation, Felix." Dimitri calmly refuted as he continued to march at the forefront at the group. "I have faith that the enemy will never be able to break through our defensive line, especially with the legendary Thunder Catherine at our side."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Prince, but feel free to keep laying it on me." the blonde knight let out a hearty chuckle in response.

The group's plan of attack was relatively straightforward. A small fraction of the Knights of Seiros would line up along the front line and the rear end of the group to act as mobile shields for their accompanying students as they advanced upon Castle Gaspard. Though their forward march was slow, which was hardly helped by the heavy fog surrounding the general area, it allowed every unit present to continue on their path without fear of losing any potential stragglers. A single misstep otherwise would likely make it impossible for any unfortunate souls to find their way back to the party.

Another flash of crimson lightning flared up in the distance, this time accompanied by an ear splitting cry of pain, greatly startling many members within the group.

"Hey, are you holding up alright, Bernadetta? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"It's nothing, Ignatz. I'm just a little shook up from the lightning, that's all." Bernadetta shakily reassured her bespectacled classmate. "It's kind of dredging up some bad memories for me, though."

"I can certainly relate." Ashe hung his head down in contemplation as he walked over to join the conversation between the two archers. "My siblings and I used to live in fear of thunderstorms nearly every day before Lord Lonato finally took us in."

"So you used to be an orphan, huh Ashe?" Ignatz inquired, prompting a quick nod of confirmation from the other boy in response. "I've heard of so many good deeds from Lord Lonato over the past couple of weeks… It makes it so hard to believe that he'd instigate such a brutal uprising against the church."

"I know… I just want to hear a proper explanation for this madness more than anything." Ashe solemnly agreed, his head still lowered in dread at the prospect of what was to come.

"Didn't you write him a letter asking for his motivations earlier?" Bernadetta curiously asked. "I'm sure your father must have been willing to give you some sort of information."

"I did just as you asked, but I was unable to receive a reply Lonato directly." Ashe grimly admitted. "Monica's carrier pigeon arrived with another letter later that same night, but it only contained a vague message from one of my father's vassals warning me to stay away from the conflict, and that the Central Church's hour of retribution was finally at hand..."

"The Central Church's hour of retribution…?" Ignatz nervously repeated.

"Honestly, I have no idea what this message was going on about…" Ashe shook his head in frustration. "I can only assume this has to do with the death of my older stepbrother Christophe, but this is something I'd rather hear from Lonato's own mouth, not some intermediary vassal."

"Your father really doesn't want you to get involved in this whole mess, huh?" Bernadetta pondered aloud. "He probably doesn't want to see you getting hurt in the crossfire…"

"I suppose it's far too late for that now…" Ashe sighed in dismay, still dreading the confrontation that was soon to come.

* * *

The entire group's march was brought to a screeching halt when the sound of a man crying out in pain suddenly echoed through the air. The students all looked to the front of their small army to find the corpse of a lone soldier lying before Catherine's feet, the knight's signature blade emitting a faint red glow as she turned to face the classes accompanying her.

"Everybody, prepare for battle! We're about to engage the enemy forces!"

Bernadetta wordlessly notched an arrow into her bow in preparation of the unfolding conflict, but her attention was quickly grasped by a brief, but noticeable whimper from Ashe, who was staring at the man Catherine had slain with a look of realization dawning on his face.

"I… I recognize that man…!" Ashe barely managed to stutter out. "He was the head of the local bakery back in the village…" he revealed, visibly struggling to keep his tears from falling from his eyes even as his fellow classmates set out to confront the legion of soldiers sent to attack them. "The son of the old blacksmith… the young widow who worked at the jeweler's… I can hear their voices with such clarity…"

"Ashe, this isn't the time-"

"Why, Lonato? Why are they all here…?" Ashe's whole body shook as his gaze fell to the ground below.

"Ashe, we're under attack! Please pull yourself together!" Bernadetta urgently pleaded as she scanned the area around her for any signs of movement.

"I- I'm so sorry! It's easy enough to take lives without a second thought when I'm just fighting simple bandits, but when I recognize these faces on the battlefield, I-" the silver haired boy continued, unaware of a faint orange glow in the distance signifying an enemy mage taking aim at him.

Faced with few other options, Bernadetta lunged forth and forcefully tackled the boy to the ground just in time for a bright fireball to sail right past their heads. Before Ashe could even catch his breath, his violet haired savior immediately turned in the direction of their attacker and let loose a single arrow. The sharp cry of pain that followed was definitively confirmed that the arrow hit its mark, piercing the mage's heart before he could conjure up another spell.

"Ashe, you have to listen to me." Bernadetta sternly warned as she helped the boy get back on his feet. "I hate the feeling as much as you do, but whether you recognize your enemies on the battlefield or not, you _have_ to choose between your life and theirs. There are no exceptions in war…"

"But we're not fighting a war-"

"War or not, your hesitation can and will get you killed if you let it take over!" Bernadetta loudly snapped, prompting Ashe to briefly flinch in response.

As if right on cue, Dimitri suddenly appeared by the pair's side, lance in hand as he thrust the weapon through the abdomen of an approaching soldier hoping to strike while their backs were turned.

"I truly wish there was a better way…" the young prince solemnly cursed, removing his spear from the man's corpse and forcing him to collapse to the ground with an unintelligible cough of blood.

"I- I'm sorry, both of you. I shouldn't be dragging you down like this." Ashe uttered a heartfelt apology before notching an arrow into his bow. "If we want to put a stop to this needless loss of life, then we'll just have to end this battle as soon as possible." he resolutely stated, prompting two nods of agreement from his fellow students.

"Hey, you guys! Now is not a good time to fall behind the rest of the pack!" Claude's voice called with bated breath as the Golden Deer leader rushed in meet up with the preoccupied trio with a lit torch in hand. "I swear this fog's getting worse every minute…"

"The situation has grown quite dire. Our forces have scattered all throughout the area in such a short period of time… If only we can find the source of this accursed fog…" Dimitri placed a hand to his chin in contemplation as he scanned the limited horizon around him like a hawk.

"_If the mist has gotten this bad, then whatever's causing it has to be close by, right?" _

"_**Indeed. I believe you should take your search to that thicket over there. Powerful as this fog may be, it was originally dispelled by simply slaying the lone mage responsible for conjuring it."**_ Sothis calmly advised, drawing upon her memories of her first experience with this battle to plot out the swiftest route to victory.

"Alright, we're not going to accomplish anything by just standing around here." Bernadetta declared as she stepped out in front of the small group that had gathered around her. "I… think I can see some trees in the distance over there. If we're lucky, we might find whoever's causing this fog within them."

"I say we should just murder everyone in sight to narrow down our options!" Monica's voice suddenly crept into the conversation, giving Bernadetta a brief scare as the redhead suddenly popped into view.

"Wh- what do I keep telling you about sneaking up on me?!" Bernadetta hotly protested, her bow instinctively drawn on the surprise visitor for a few short seconds. "Especially here of all places; I almost shot you on sight!"

"But you didn't; I'm glad you're finally starting to trust me, Bernie." Monica refuted with a sly wink, much to the violet haired archer's annoyance.

"I dunno about you guys, but I think I'll take the recluse's plan over the crazed lunatic's." Claude heartily joked, his torch firmly raised as he turned in the direction of the distant thicket. "Just try to stick close to me till we get there. I wouldn't want any of you guys to trip over a pebble along the way or something."

"I do hope your hunch is right about this, Bernadetta. The sooner we raise this veil over the battlefield, the better." Ashe anxiously stated, scurrying over to Claude's side to guard the house leader while he acted as the group's only source of light within the area.

"Eh, fine, we'll do it your way." Monica halfheartedly shrugged. "It'll be easier for me to actually see who I'm stabbing without this dumb fog anyway."

"You'll hear no objections from me." Dimitri readily voiced his agreement, tightly gripping his spear in preparation of the group's next move. "I have no desire for us to remain here any longer than we need to be."

Now fueled by a brimming sense of unification between their three different houses, the small band of students set out to advance upon their targeted thicket with a renewed sense of determination. Any soldiers that dared to draw near were swiftly dispatched, whether they were slashed across the chest by Dimitri's spear or pierced through the throat by one of Monica's knives. Any archers who attempted to take potshots at the group were met with an arrow in the chest in return, and the one poor soul who managed to come near Claude was met with the grim fate of having an arrow jammed into his throat when the Golden Deer leader easily ducked under a swing of his untrained blade.

It was not long before the group finally arrived at their target destination, where they were immediately greeted with a long row of fireballs sailing right over their heads.

"Well gee, with this much protection in one area, I think we might have just found our mark!" Claude proudly commented, throwing a single precise dagger that easily burrowed into the throat of one of the attacking mages. Dimitri quickly followed suit, throwing a javelin forth with such power that it not only fully impaled its unfortunate target, but pinned his body to a nearby tree as well.

"Wait a moment, does that particular mage's attire seem strange to anyone else?" Ashe curiously asked, pointing to an unknown man garbed adorned with jet black robes and a mysterious bird-like mask.

"That's it! That's the guy responsible for the fog, I'm sure of it!" Bernadetta shouted as she hastily pointed her crossbow at the mysterious figure. Though her loud declaration gave the man enough of a heads up to slip past the arrow fired at him, he was shortly caught by a second shot from Ashe, which managed to cleanly pierce through his heel, dropping the mage to his knees with a sharp grunt of pain. Seizing the opportunity, Bernadetta fired another arrow into the man's heart before he could stand back up.

"Oh my, Bernie. It looks like you've really done your homework, huh?" Monica raised an eyebrow at the girl as the fog plaguing their location finally began to disappear from the air. "How'd you figure this out, exactly?"

"Oh, you know, I, er… thought it was obvious…" the lilac haired archer nervously twiddled her thumbs together in a vain attempt to explain her advanced knowledge of the situation. "With an outfit like that, I was sure that guy had to have been important, you know?"

"What in the world is this…?" the pair's impromptu interrogation was cut short by a surprised Dimitri, who was standing over the corpse of the unknown mage with an expression of sheer bewilderment. The rest of the group hurriedly darted over to find that the mage's bird mask had been removed, revealing a face pale as snow and an eerie channel of exposed veins running all across his skin. These telltale features were more than enough to tell Bernadetta that this mage was a denizen of Agartha.

"Now that's gotta be the second freakiest thing I've seen all week." Claude casually exclaimed as he bent down to get a closer look at the mage's dead body, where his eyes instantly drawn to the man's right arm. "Get a load of this strange metallic bracelet… and that shiny white orb implanted within… I've never seen anything like it before."

"Ooh, that looks neat! I think I'll go ahead and claim it for myself!" Monica loudly announced, swiftly darting over to swipe the accessory from the mage's arm before Claude could lay a hand on it.

"Hey now, what gives?" Claude protested in frustration at the redhead's thieving antics. "Is there something special about this bracelet you don't want us to know about?"

"What, this old thing?" Monica chuckled, dangling the bracelet in front of her as if she were jingling a set of keys in a cat's face. "It's nothing more than a cosmetic item; I just think it looks cool!"

Unconvinced as he was, the Golden Deer leader was given little time to reply before the group's attention was drawn towards the familiar sound of a galloping horse approaching from the west. Perched atop the animal was none other than Lord Lonato himself, complete with an entire legion of soldiers at his beck and call. Most strikingly, the weapon in his hands brought a couple of loud gasps of shock from Dimitri and Bernadetta the moment they laid eyes on it.

"Is that… that's impossible!"

"Your Highness, thank the Goddess you're safe! You would do well not to stray so far from the group again." Dedue's voice called from afar, carrying a far greater sense of urgency than the man was typically known for as he rushed over to reunite with his lord.

"Your concern is appreciated, Dedue, but I simply had to come to the aid of those who had fallen behind as well." Dimitri humbly dispelled his retainer's fears before turning his attention to a frantic looking Sylvain. "And Sylvain… what is the meaning of this? Why is Lord Lonato wielding the Lance of Ruin of all things?"

"Believe me, I have no idea!" the red haired womanizer gave out a wide shrug as he finally managed to catch up with his house leader. "Last time I checked, it was still lying safely in the lands of House Gautier! You can even ask Ingrid if you want confirmation, she was just there last week!"

"You'd think we would have received word that a Hero's Relic was stolen from its territory, even on such short notice…" Ingrid concurred, sharing the same sense of confusion as the lance's future heir.

"_Sothis, can you tell if that lance is actually the real deal?"_ Bernadetta silently asked the Goddess within her mind for insight.

"_**It does not look any different than the lance I am familiar with, yet something feels… off about its aura. I can't quite explain why…" **_Sothis muttered, feeling just as perturbed as her companion on the matter.

"Yikes, does anyone else see how that lance is faintly pulsating? I don't think I wanna come anywhere near that thing." Hilda commented, her eyes wincing in disgust as she pointed s shaky finger towards the ancient weapon.

"Regardless of _how _Lonato managed to obtain the Lance of Ruin, I'm going to need all of you to leave Lord Lonato to me." Catherine demanded, stepping out to the forefront of the army with her signature Thunderbrand drawn and ready. "He may not have a Crest to properly wield it with, but that doesn't make that Hero's Relic any less dangerous for it."

"Understood. I'll have the students fend off his army to give you and the Knights of Seiros some room to breathe." Byleth nodded in affirmation, marching off to Catherine's side with his own trusty blade firmly in hand.

"This is bad… This is really, really bad…" Bernadetta nervously fidgeted in place as her allied forces made their preparations to meet with Lonato's army head on. "Even with a Relic Weapon, there's no way Lonato could possibly survive a duel with Catherine…"

"Then what should we do, Bernadetta?" Ashe desperately pleaded. "I can't simply sit back and watch while my only living parent is ruthlessly cut down in front of me!"

"I know, I know…" the violet haired girl's mind scrambled for ideas as the confrontation between the two armies grew closer with each passing second. "If we want to have any hope of settling this peacefully, then there's only one person who can talk some sense into him."

"You mean me, don't you…?" Ashe quietly asked, receiving a firm nod in response. "Yes, I understand. Mark my words; I will get Lonato to see the error of his ways!"

"That's a fine sentiment and all, but I'm pretty sure you're gonna want some backup if you wish to cross an active battlefield to have a talk with your old man." Claude stated, spinning an arrow around in his hand as he joined in on the pair's conversation.

"Indeed, Claude is quite right." Dimitri concurred with his gaze firmly set upon the vast plains before them. "There will be much ground to cover, but I assure you, you will have the chance to say your piece with Lonato before the day is up."

"We'll make sure nobody lays a hand on you along the way!" Mercedes cheerfully chimed in; flashing a comforting smile in her classmate's direction as she peacefully clasped her hands together.

"And if anyone does hurt you, they're really gonna be sorry!" Annette added, pumping her fist in the air in an eager show of support.

"Everybody… I can't thank you enough for your support." Ashe bowed his head to the crowd of students gathering to aid him with a wide smile across his face.

"You had best save your thanks for later, Ashe." Lorenz cautioned, pointing his finger out to the quaggy field where a small squadron of knights were slain by a single slash from Lonato's fearsome weapon. "We should all make haste if you wish to reach your father before it's too late."

With nary another word, Claude and Dimitri lead their two classes on a mutual charge against Lonato's forces, intending to cut a path for Ashe to safely pass through on his way to his final destination. The worry in the boy's demeanor was easily apparent at a glance, and it only grew worse as Catherine and Byleth began to clash with his old guardian off in the distance.

Much to the collective surprise of the onlookers present, the old lord was actually holding his ground against the combined might of the professor and the wielder of Thunderbrand. He struck at Catherine in particular with much more vigor and ferocity than a man of his age was thought to be capable of. Brilliant sparks of crimson flew through the air with each clash of the two Hero's Relics, and neither side of the confrontation was looking to concede defeat any time soon.

Skilled as the professor may have been, it was abundantly clear that Lonato's main focus lied elsewhere as he carried on with his hate fueled assault on Catherine, even managing to land a glancing glow on the knight's armor in the process. All Byleth could really do in this situation was to hold off any soldiers looking to interfere with the personal duel that was underway.

Ashe's single minded focus on the intense battle unfolding before him left him unaware of a nearby thief that had managed to draw a bow on the boy, but luckily the foe was quickly dispatched by a handful of well-placed crossbow bolts from Bernadetta.

"My apologies. I allowed myself to get too distracted back there."

"Don't worry about it; it happens to the best of us. Now's your chance to put an end to this battle!" Bernadetta reassured the boy, refocusing her efforts on guarding his immediate flank as Ashe slowly worked up the nerve to call out to his adoptive father.

"Lonato, you must surrender, I beg of you!" Ashe shouted at the top of his lungs, bringing his father's duel with Catherine to a grinding halt as the lord instantly recognized the voice of his second son.

"Ashe… is that you…? What are you doing here of all places?" Lonato asked as his eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm here to prevent you from continuing your destructive vendetta against the church! I cannot claim to fully understand your reasons for this, but there must be a way to peacefully settle your grievances!"

"This has nothing to do with you, Ashe!" Lonato loudly roared, causing his son to flinch in fear. "Lady Rhea… that vile woman… to have dragged you all the way out here, even knowing of your connection to me…!"

"Lonato, this cannot go on any longer!" Dimitri's voice cried out as the Blue Lion leader reluctantly rushed forth to face the aging lord directly. "I sympathize with your position, I really do, but this vendetta of yours has gone way too far!"

"Your Highness…" Lonato looked down upon the blonde prince with a look of pity and regret. "I have no desire to cut you down, but I cannot allow you to stop me either! The true will of the Goddess demands as much!"

"Agh, this is going terribly… he isn't standing down at all!" Bernadetta audibly panicked as the old lord threateningly pointed his lance at Dimitri.

"Damn… I was really hoping Ashe could get him to listen to reason." Claude grumbled to himself in frustration.

"_**If we cannot get Lonato to lay down his arms with words, then we must simply find a way to peacefully subdue him instead."**_

"_Okay, but…how? You can't honestly expect me to go anywhere near that Lance of Ruin, can you?!"_

"_**Think for a moment. Defeating the man in direct combat is obviously out of the question for you; however, relieving him of his steed could swiftly turn the tides in our favor. Do you have anything that could possibly assist with such a task?" **_

"_That is the ideal way to deal with a mounted unit, but how am I supposed to…" _Bernadetta frantically turned the gears within her head until a moment of inspiration finally clicked. "That's it! Claude, Monica, could you two come here for a moment?"

"Ooh, you've got one hell of a sinister look in your eyes, Bernie! I like it!" Monica cheerfully noted.

"If you've got some sort of grand scheme in mind, you can count me in." Claude eagerly obliged as Lonato's personal skirmish began anew. True to his word, the aging lord made a beeline for Dimitri with the intent to kill, only to be intercepted by Byleth and Catherine along the way.

For all the sheer ferocity Lonato had displayed throughout the battle, it was clear that the old man's stamina was wearing thin, especially as he continued to struggle against multiple opponents at once. Even so, it was clear that the man had no intention of backing down, despite the grievous wounds that were starting to pile up on his end.

"Hey, old man! We've got a surprise for you!" the voice of Claude suddenly called out as an arrow narrowly sailed past Lonato's head from behind. Naturally curious, Lonato broke off from his clash and turned around to find Monica flashing an evil grin in his direction while holding a knife up to Ashe's throat. All the while, Bernadetta and Claude stood in between the lord and his hostage son with a mutual expression of steely determination.

"You might want to choose your next move carefully, that is if you care what happens to your little boy here!" Monica loudly threatened, wrapping her free hand around Ashe's chest as the silver haired boy silently stared at his father with pleading eyes.

"What on Fódlan has gotten into you three?!" Dimitri questioned in bewilderment, only receiving a raised hand of reassurance from Claude in reply.

"Don't worry, Dimitri. We know exactly what we're doing here." Claude confidently assured, his left hand closely linked with Bernadetta's as the latter pointed her crossbow at Lonato with her right.

"Professor, Catherine, we'll need you to trust us on this one too." Bernadetta added, looking over to the two instructors who only stared back with looks of concern and understanding as they reluctantly refrained from interfering.

"You fiendish dastards…!" Lonato visibly fumed at the attempted blackmail unfolding before him. "Do not believe for a second that your threats will save you from retribution!" he roared in fury before mounting a single minded charge, his cursed lanced raised high into the air as he prepared to cut down the impudent students who dared to blemish his honor in such a fashion.

"Claude, now!"

"You got it!"

The two archers speedily split apart the moment Lonato's horse drew near, revealing a long, razor sharp tripwire stretching between their hands like an elastic chain. Carrying far too much momentum to reverse its course, Lonato's steed unceremoniously neighed in terror as it lost its balance and fell to the ground below, taking its unfortunate rider down with it.

Without missing a beat, the perpetrators of the trap proceeded to fire a quick volley of arrows into the aging lord's legs before he could even attempt to stand back up. Though effectively crippled by the surprise attack, Lonato still maintained his hold on the Lance of Ruin, entirely willing to drag his beaten body with his bare hands to continue his personal mission.

"Lonato, that's enough!" Ashe desperately pleaded as Monica released the boy from her grasp, rushing over to kneel in front of the still struggling lord.

"Ashe, what is-"

"I'm sorry to have deceived you, but I must implore you to wake up and open your eyes to reality!" Ashe cut his old guardian's query short with another heartfelt plea. "Look around you! Look at all the needless pain and suffering your ill-fated conquest against the church has brought to everybody!"

"You don't understand, Ashe! You do not know the true depths of depravity that the Central Church has fallen into!"

"Did you truly have to resort to a declaration of war to settle your grievances?! I know I cannot speak for the dead, but do you truly think Christophe would have wanted any of this?!"

Lonato's expression softened at the mention of his deceased son. Begrudgingly, he obliged with his surviving boy's request, his eyes slowly widening in realization as he gazed upon a vast battlefield littered with the corpses of his own men and townsfolk. Though there were certainly casualties among the Knights of Seiros as well, it was abundantly clear that Lonato's own losses greatly outnumbered them. For all intents and purposes, his attempted conquest had ended in total failure.

"I… I see…" the aging lord quietly whispered as the weight of his actions finally began to dawn on him. "I have failed as a lord… I have failed as a leader… and most of all, I have failed as a father, more than once…"

"There is always a chance for you to make amends." Ashe held out his hand in an offering of peace with a warm smile. "We can make things right once again, I know it."

Lonato couldn't help but return his son's smile in admiration of his sheer optimism. He slowly reached out his hand to accept Ashe's kind proposition, only to halt midway when he suddenly fell into a violent coughing fit.

"Ashe… you… have to… get away from me…!" the aging lord muttered between coughs, much to the concern of the many onlookers present.

"Father…?"

"_Wh- what's going on now?! Everything was just starting to go smoothly up until now…"_ Bernadetta mentally panicked as she looked upon Lonato's condition in horror.

"_**Oh no…"**_ Sothis muttered in dread. _**"Look at the Crest Stone on the Lance of Ruin!"**_

Just as the Goddess claimed, the lance's Crest Stone had suddenly begun to forcefully glow with a dark shade of crimson, eliciting a cry of pure agony from Lonato as a grotesque, shadowy mass began to emerge from the cursed weapon.

All Ashe could do was slowly back away in fear as the flow of darkness proceeded to creep up along his adoptive father's arm, who was still howling in pain all the while. The fighting around them had long since come to a halt, with friend and foe alike watching the scene unfold with utter fear and bafflement.

This… was a sight that Bernadetta recognized all too well.

The glow of the Crest Stone grew wilder with each passing second, and Lonato's agony along with it. The shadowy mass grew to such a size that it completely swallowed Lonato's body in a matter of seconds. It was not long before the coating of darkness stretched up into the air and formed into a massive stone skinned creature standing up on its high legs, its crimson eyes flaring to life as it let out a massive roar that could be heard for miles on end.

Lord Lonato was no more, and all that was left was a bloodthirsty Demonic Beast.

* * *

**Boy was this chapter a doozy to write. I wasn't originally planning to split the battle into two chapters, but it's certainly a better option than rushing out the second half and glossing over the aftermath of the whole operation.**

**On another note, I've decided to commemorate the release of this story's tenth chapter with a brand new cover image made in SFM. I... think it worked decently. With all the constant backpedaling and second-guessing I've been tackling throughout the process of writing all this, I'm quite proud of how far everything's progressed so far.**

**Oh, and for those eagle eyed reviewers out there, Ashe's book in the last chapter was indeed one big reference to Tales of the Abyss. I just love slipping in references to other RPGs like that.**


	11. Chapter 10: A Twilight of Upheaval

"Wh- what the hell is that thing?!"

"I don't know, but there's no way I'm sticking around here any longer!"

The remnants of Lonato's army reacted with appropriate horror upon witnessing the grotesque transformation of their lord into a fearsome beast. Unfortunately for them, the rally of panicked cries made as the defeated faction began to flee from the battlefield only served to attract the attention of their former master, who proceeded to turn around and demolish the nearest group of soldiers it could find with a destructive blast of dark energy.

"Lonato… what is happening to you…?" Ashe questioned, utterly frozen in place as he watched his adoptive father turn on the very people he was supposed to serve.

"Now's not the time to think about that, Ashe. Right now, you've gotta get as far away from that thing as possible!" Claude suddenly warned, briefly startling the silver haired boy by seizing hold of his right arm.

"I don't know how else to put this, but… your father is long gone, Ashe." Bernadetta reluctantly added as she forcefully pulled the boy away from the ensuing rampage.

"What? No… there must still be some way to save him, right?" Ashe desperately asked, unable to free himself from the tight grasp of his fellow students.

"I doubt there's anything we can do to save him at this point..." Claude grimly noted, a regretful look forming in his eyes as he continued to gaze upon Lonato's mindless rampage.

"So… these are the consequences of allowing a Hero's Relic to fall into the wrong hands." Dimitri briefly averted his gaze from the roaring monster before tightening his grip on his spear with a newly formed expression of steely determination. "This has gone too far. I fear all we can do now is put an end to his misery."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Your Highness." Catherine readily agreed with the prince's assessment as she defiantly stepped forth to point her signature Thunderbrand towards Lonato's raging new form. The remaining Knights of Seiros stood alongside her, all prepared to lead a charge on the beast at a moment's notice. "Professor, the knights and I will set out first to attract the beast's attention. With any luck, we should be able to completely surround it with the aid of the students."

"Understood." Byleth firmly nodded as he turned to face the mass of students that had gathered around him. "I'll want all of you to spread out and keep out of the beast's reach as much as possible. As Lonato's soldiers have unwittingly demonstrated, this creature is more than capable of attacking entire groups at once."

"_Ugh, how did any of this happen_…?" Bernadetta internally panicked, paying little attention to her professor's instructions. _"Is that… group of Slitherers on to me? There's no way I could have done anything to attract their attention!"_

"_**We really should come up with a better name for those snakes… preferably one that rolls off the tongue more easily." **_Sothis pondered aloud._** "But alas, now is not the time to let our minds linger on such thoughts."**_

"_But none of this ever happened the first time, right? I should know! I didn't originally join the Golden Deer until they set out to take back that creepy lance from Sylvain's brother!"_

"_**I'm afraid these drastic changes to familiar events may be a side effect of our journey through time. No matter how minor your actions may be, even the slightest change to the past can create ripples with a profound effect on the flow of time going forward."**_

"_So… you're telling me this is all my fault?! Did Ashe's father turn into a bloodthirsty monster because of me?!"_

"_**You should not beat yourself over the head due to circumstances out of your control. Now look, while you were busy moping, the battle has already begun without you!"**_

True to the Goddess's word, the Knights of Seiros were mounting a charge on Lonato as they spoke. Though the monster's back was turned, it could still sense the approach of the men looking to turn their blades on it. With a wide sweep of its lizard-like tail, the hulking beast quickly turned to face its attackers, sending a handful of unlucky knights flying off into the air in the process.

As Catherine herself drew near to slash at the beast with her mighty Hero's Relic, the knight's archers let lose a volley of arrows in Lonato's direction. The attack did little to bother the beast, as the arrows harmlessly bounced right off its stony skin, but they did distract it long enough for Catherine to land two vertical slices across its face.

Though Thunderbrand had managed to elicit a clear roar of the pain from the beast, Lonato fiercely struck back with a mighty downward swing of his claws. The blonde knight barely managed to leap away from the attack at the last second, but the beast had still managed to land a heavy blow across the side of her chest regardless, leaving a triad of charred scars across her armor as a result. Not yet satisfied, the beast further pressed its assault, forcing Catherine to retreat further back to prevent the risk of more serious injuries.

"Annette, Lysithea!" Byleth immediately ordered, prompting a pair of silent nods from the two mages as they stepped forth to focus their magical energy on the beast's backside. In a flash, two spheres of fire and darkness rocketed towards the monster at full speed, creating a sizeable multi-colored explosion on impact.

The transformed Lonato let out another roar and retaliated with a dark blast of its own. Thinking quickly, Dedue stepped out in front of the two mages, brandishing a massive shield that handily nullified the ball of energy before it could harm its intended targets. Shortly afterward, Dimitri and Hilda emerged from both sides of their defensive classmate, briefly arching their bodies back before throwing forth a javelin and a throwing axe with all their might.

Their weapons hit their mark with perfect accuracy, embedding themselves deep within the beast's shoulders. Not wanting to let up on the assault, Bernadetta and the many other archers present fired a large volley of arrows into the air, all of which managed to land cleanly on the monster's back, yet for all the class's efforts, this only resulted in the beast shooting an enraged glare at the lot of them

Letting out an even louder roar than before, the demonic creature swept away another batch of knights with its tail and made a mad charge directly for Byleth and his students.

"_Agh, you've got to be kidding me! That barely did anything to him!"_

"_**Never mind that, look at his forehead!"**_ Sothis interrupted her companion's internal panic to point out an eerie red orb jutting out of Lonato's forehead. Though distant, Bernadetta could also make out a faint XVI symbol etched right onto the orb.

"_Well… that sure looks important."_

As the violet haired archer pondered over her next move, Byleth and Felix quickly rushed over to Lysithea and Annette's sides, placing their blades in the mage's hands for them to be imbued with the elements of darkness and wind. Under the cover of a rain of javelins from the various lance wielders of their respective classes and a large boulder courtesy of Raphael, the pair of swordsmen deftly rushed forth to meet Lonato's charge head on.

"Hey, Claude… are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Bernadetta approached her fellow archer with another plan hatched in her mind.

"Oh, you bet. I'd have to be blind as a bat to miss such an obvious weak spot." the Golden Deer leader firmly nodded as he turned to Marianne.

"Right, er… Mercedes? Could you help me out too?"

"I'd be quite glad to. Please, hand me an arrow for a moment." the holy woman happily obliged, eagerly extending her hand to aid in her ally's efforts.

All the while, Byleth and Felix were making good headway in fending off the Demonic Beast, taking advantage of their greater agility to nimbly weave around the creature's swipes and strike back with their elementally imbued blades at every opportunity.

With Lonato distracted by the two swordsmen, Claude and Bernadetta were given the perfect opportunity to strike at the exposed gemstone on its forehead. In a grand display of acrobatics, the two archers flipped into the air one after another to fire a pair of holy arrows directly into the beast's forehead.

The maneuver elicited a grand roar of pain from the transformed monster, having dealt far more damage than any of the group's previous attacks. Being so close to death only served to further enrage the beast, which proceeded to form a javelin of stone in its mouth and spit it in the direction of Bernadetta, who narrowly rolled out of the way as the spike violently impaled the ground she once stood on.

Panic flared in the archer's silver eyes as the enormous monster mounted a desperate charge right for her. Instinctively, she made an effort to get out of the way, only for a mighty stomp from the beast to shake the earth beneath her feet, knocking the girl off balance before she could escape.

"Oh crap, oh crap, of crap!" Bernadetta immediately cowered in fear and raised her hands to her face in a last ditch attempt to defend herself from the oncoming charge. All she could do now was brace for the heavy impact that was sure to follow…

But the only thing that came instead was a familiar flash of colors weaving through her eyes. The next time she opened her eyes, the timid archer breathed a sigh of relief to find herself back on her feet completely unharmed.

"_**Did you honestly forget you could do that again?"**_ Sothis reprimanded her companion for her brief moment of faltering.

"_Eh, sorry, I kind of fell back into old habits at the last second there… and I don't think I was the one that turned back the clock this time…"_ Bernadetta sheepishly admitted, turning her gaze back to the Demonic Beast to find her professor perched atop its head with his shadowy blade firmly implanted in the Crest Stone on its forehead. Further surrounding the beast were Sylvain and Dimitri, who had managed to fully impale it on both sides with their lances.

"_**It seems some fates are doomed to be repeated after all…"**_

With a final, weak cry of pain, the beast struggled to lift its head into the air for a brief moment before collapsing to the ground with a resounding thud. Immediately afterward, its body surrounded itself with a swirling mass of dark fog, which shortly dissipated to reveal the battered, nigh unrecognizable body of Lonato in its place. To his side were the shattered remains of his Crest Stone and the Lance of Ruin that triggered his unholy transformation.

With the corpse of his old guardian out in the open, all Ashe could do now was offer a silent prayer for his adoptive father as a steady stream of tears began to fall from the boy's eyes.

* * *

"Professor… do you not think there could have been a better way to settle this?"

"I'll admit this whole debacle left a bad taste in my mouth too, Dimitri, but it just couldn't be helped. He was too far gone for us to do anything." Claude bluntly replied to his fellow house leader's sorrowful musings.

"If we had not stopped Lonato's rampage here, more lives surely would have been lost in the process." Byleth's expression remained stern as ever remained as he grimly reminded the students before him.

"I truly understand the necessity of our actions, but…" Dimitri found himself at a brief loss for his words as his gaze wandered to the ground. "We weren't just killing a rogue lord out there, but civilians as well! Those whose lives we all swore to protect!"

"That's just the sort of thing that happens in war, Dimitri, whether we like it or not."

"How could you say such a thing so casually, Bernadetta?! Those people were only acting out of loyalty to their master… Lonato himself was acting for a cause he believed to be just… none of them deserved any of this!" Dimitri snapped at the violet haired girl's seemingly cold statement.

"Do you think I don't know that?!" Bernadetta snapped back in return, barely resisting the urge to lose herself in her own memories. "No matter how hard you try, there will always be people you just can't save!"

"Alright, that's enough, you two!" Ashe swiftly stepped in to relieve the situation's tension before it could escalate any further. "Neither of you are at fault for anything that's happened today!"

"I'm sorry… I spoke out of line for a moment there." Dimitri sorrowfully bowed his head to the silver haired boy in remorse.

"Yeah, so did I… I know this has to be much harder on you than anyone else." Bernadetta readily corrected herself out of sympathy alongside the prince.

"Honestly, I just can't help wondering how any of this happened in the first place." Claude placed a hand to his chin in careful thought. "How could such a minor lord like Lonato have possibly gotten away with the theft of a Hero's Relic?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I'm supposed to be responsible for the upkeep of that old thing, and even I have no idea how this happened." Sylvain reluctantly admitted with a shrug of thinly veiled frustration.

"And the lance itself completely shattered when the battle was finally over… is this a common occurrence with the Hero's Relics?" Byleth curiously asked, his limited knowledge of the subject clearly apparent as Catherine joined in on the conversation with a look of concern painted across her face.

"It's definitely not normal, I'll tell you that much. I've already sent a carrier pigeon to House Gautier in search of answers. With any luck, we should know the full story before the day is up." the blonde knight informed, her expression growing more serious as she held up her hand to reveal an eerie jet black envelope. "More importantly, I've come bearing some grim news. Lord Lonato was carrying this letter on his corpse… it contains a detailed plan for the assassination of Lady Rhea."

The knight's stunning announcement elicited a number of shocked gasps from everyone present, with the exception of Bernadetta, who was more transfixed by a peculiar sight on the envelope itself.

"What is that strange wax seal on the letter…? It appears to be a sigil of a serpent devouring its own tail…"

"Beats me. I've never seen anything like it in my life." Claude admitted in confusion, though he did begin to show just as much interest in the strange logo the moment it caught his eye.

"Regardless, this is clearly a sign of a greater conspiracy at hand." Catherine firmly concluded as she stashed the envelope out of sight.

"No, this… this can't be right at all!" Ashe loudly spoke up. The boy's silver eyes were wide with shock as his entire body began to nervously fidget every which way. "I… I have to go check on my brother and sister!" he loudly announced, his voice filled with a heavy tone of dread before abruptly darting off into the distance at full speed."

"Ashe, wait!" Dimitri called out to his fellow classmate to little avail. He had already managed to sprint out of earshot by the time the prince managed to put his words together.

"We'd better follow after him. I'm getting a really bad feeling about all of this…" Byleth grimly commented, to which everyone present silently agreed. Bernadetta couldn't help but feel a pit in her stomach shortly afterward. Both she and the professor sincerely hoped that the worries creeping up on their minds were simply the products of their imaginations, but there was inevitably only one way to truly settle their fears.

* * *

The group's frantic chase for Ashe came to a sudden halt when the boy in question let out an ear piercing scream of utter despair that could surely be heard for miles on end. Even more worrying was the faint, yet familiar scent of smoke that began to invade their nostrils. With their sense of urgency at an all-time high, they all darted out of a sea of trees to find Ashe overlooking his hometown on an empty clearing. Much to the mutual horror of everybody present, the village below them was engulfed in a raging inferno.

Dimitri in particular let out a stunned grunt the moment he laid eyes on the burning village, clutching his head in pain as if fighting back a repressed memory.

"Hey, Dimitri…" Bernadetta quietly called out to the Blue Lion's leader. "Are you okay…?"

"Ah, yes… Please, pay me no mind. There are more important matters to deal with at the moment." Dimitri softly rebuked the girl's concerns as he slowly walked forward to get a clearer view of the carnage unfolding below.

"What… the hell… is this…?" Monica suddenly spoke up, her face taking up a more serious expression than usual. Though Bernadetta could hardly believe the sight of it, the redhead even seemed to be fighting back a single tear as she slowly turned to Catherine with a look of burning contempt. "So this was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

"What are you even talking about?!" the blonde knight responded to the sudden accusation with utter bewilderment.

"Don't even think about playing dumb with me! You should know exactly what Rhea sent the rest of the Black Eagles to do!"

"What…?" Dimitri's head shot up at the very mention of the Black Eagles. "What do they all have to do with this?!" the prince shouted as he suddenly rushed forth to grab Catherine by the shoulders, peering into her eyes with a furious glare.

"Don't do anything you'll regret, Your Highness." the blonde knight sternly warned, returning Dimitri's furious look with a glare of her own that silently convinced the prince to loosen his grasp on her. "The Black Eagles were only meant to peacefully capture the officials of the Western Church. They shouldn't be anywhere near the village! Lady Rhea would have informed me otherwise!"

"Lady Rhea would have informed me otherwise." Monica parroted the knight's words with a heavily condescending tone. "You church types are all the same. Can't you think for yourself for once?"

"Why don't you try saying that again to my face?"

"Calm down, all of you!" Byleth's order cut through the building tension like a hot knife through butter. "Regardless of who may have started this fire, now is not the time to jump to conclusions. We should all focus our efforts on searching for survivors."

"Yes… you're quite right, Professor. I apologize for my behavior." Dimitri responded with a solemn bow of remorse. "There will yet be time to pinpoint the true perpetrators of this atrocity. And when we inevitably find them, they will be made to face the same suffering they've brought upon this innocent village. We'll sever their limbs, and crush their wicked skulls!" the prince loudly warned, seemingly unaware of the great number of concerned stares being directed towards him.

"And so the boar finally shows his true colors…" Felix dryly commented, placing a hand to his forehead in affirmation.

"Come on, Bernie! We've got some work to do!" Monica announced amidst the ensuing silence, seizing hold of the timid girl's wrist without warning and dragging her along the path to the village in a sudden haste.

"Wai- would you just slow down for a minute?! If I trip, you're going down right with me!" Bernadetta vainly pleaded as Monica continued to lead her down into the fiery hamlet.

"You heard your professor, right? We don't have much time to waste!"

"What's gotten you so worked up lately?! I've never seen you this upset before!"

"Yeah, well contrary to popular belief, I've got a heart too, you know?" Monica heartily joked before she finally came to a stop at the entrance to the village. "…You really should watch your back around the Knights of Seiros, Bernie." the redhead suddenly warned, her back still turned to the girl in question. "They don't take too kindly to people like us."

"People like us…?" Bernadetta wondered aloud, utterly perplexed by Monica's newest shift in demeanor. "What are you even getting at, Moni-" she began to ask, only for her query to be cut short by the terrified scream of what sounded like a young child coming from further into the village.

Left with no choice but to put their conversation on hold, the two students proceeded to dart off into the town in search of desperate the cry for help. Another pit formed in Bernadetta's stomach as she ran through the desolate streets, sweating profusely and making an active effort to avoid breathing in the smoke that filled the air. It was like the hill at Gronder Field all over again, but on a much worse scale.

Everywhere she looked, the lilac haired archer found scores of crumbling buildings, piles of overturned wagons, and the occasional charred corpse buried underneath large piles of soot. With the ruined state of her surroundings in mind, it was abundantly clear that this blaze was a deliberate attack from an unknown party, and though she had an idea of the perpetrator's identity deep down, Bernadetta still hoped that her suspicions would be proven wrong.

It wasn't long before the pair finally caught up to the source of the scream they heard, as they happened upon a mortified young boy who had been backed into a corner by a mysterious soldier clad in armor hued with a mix of jet black and crimson. Having instantly recognized the soldier as a servant of the Flame Emperor, Bernadetta didn't hesitate to fire an arrow from her crossbow into the man's back before he could lay a finger on the boy, an attack that Monica followed up by personally closing in to a jam a dagger up through the back of the soldier's helmet. Too pained to let out even the slightest whimper, the man let out an unintelligible sputter of blood as he collapsed to the ground, grasping his throat with abject horror.

"Hey, er… everything's going to be alright now." Bernadetta nervously reached out her hand to the young boy, who briefly hesitated before shakily taking the archer up on her offer of kindness.

"Wh- where's my mom and dad?" the boy tearfully asked as he was slowly helped back onto his feet.

"I can't say we've seen any sight of them on our way here. For all we know, they're probably de-"

"Monica!" Bernadetta harshly reprimanded the redhead before she could finish her sentence. "Why don't you start by telling us your name?"

"I- it's Kyle." the boy softly answered.

"Alright then, Kyle…" Bernadetta started, taking great care to choose her next words carefully to avoid upsetting the child. "And do you think you can tell us what you were up to before we found you here?"

"O- okay… I was just asleep in my bed when my mom woke me up and yelled at me to get out of the house right away…" Kyle quietly recalled, glancing over to a road to the east before continuing. "She just picked me up, dropped me outside my window, and told me to run as fast as I can. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but then I heard a loud scream and got scared… and then this scary soldier saw me and started chasing me down the street."

An intense feeling of dread washed over Bernadetta as she immediately came to the conclusion that the boy's parents were already long dead.

"So your house is just down this way, right?" Monica curiously asked as she began to walk down the road in question. "Well, come on, we can go check on your folks together."

"Monica, I'm not sure that's such a good-"

"Yes, please! I'm getting really worried about them!" Kyle eagerly darted off in Monica's direction, much to the ignoration of Bernadetta's protests.

"Agh, Kyle! Could you at least keep close to us on the way there?! There could still be soldiers waiting for you!" Bernadetta frantically warned as she rushed off to chase after the boy alongside Monica.

It only took a short sprint for the trio to arrive at Kyle's home, and while the building had actually managed to remain relatively intact amidst the blaze, it seemed to have been left in an even worse condition than those around it, almost as if it had been specifically targeted for some specific purpose. It was a grim sight to be sure, and Bernadetta shuddered to think what she might find within as she took a single step through the front door.

"Hey, uh, why don't you keep watch for us outside, Kyle? Just yell if you see anyone heading this way, alright?"

"O- okay, I can do that…"

For once, Monica remained silent, instead adopting a more downcast expression as she patiently waited for her purple haired companion to begin her investigation. As suspected, the interior of the home looked like it had been ransacked by thieves. The flames that burned through the home had long been put out, and in their place, a veritable mess of ruined belongings laid scattered across the premises.

Perhaps the most horrifying discovery came from the back end of the home, where Bernadetta came face to face with a pair of mutilated corpses sprawled across the charred wooden floor. Much to the archer's surprise, these unfortunate victims weren't even regular humans. With pale white skin and pools of spilled blood the color of pen ink, it was clear as day that this deceased couple was of Agarthan descent.

"This might come as a bit of a surprise to you, huh?" Monica's voice suddenly asked from behind, startling Bernadetta right out of her boots.

"Can you not... especially in a place like this?" the timid archer asked in exasperation as she hunched over to catch her lost breath. "…If these are the boy's parents then is Kyle-"

"Yep. You really hit the nail on the head there, Bernie." Monica quietly affirmed, her face obscured by shadows as she began to make her way out of the scene of the murder. "Do me a favor and don't let anyone else know about this, alright? You've already seen the results for yourself, after all."

"Right… I'll make sure this stays between us…" Bernadetta readily agreed, and her mind began racing with thoughts as she followed Monica out of the house.

"_**How peculiar… by all appearances, those two did not seem to be associated with the other Agarthans we know…"**_

"_Yeah… they were just living out normal lives here without bothering anyone, and I'm sure there must have been others just like them elsewhere… I can't even begin to imagine why Edelgard would order an attack like this…"_

"_**That's assuming Edelgard was even involved in this tragedy to begin with… I fear there is still far too much we do not know about this yet…"**_

Whatever the truth behind this tragedy was, Bernadetta's thoughts were cut short by a distraught Kyle, who loudly yelled for the two girls to meet him outside. They immediately caught wind of a skirmish on the edge of a nearby street the moment they set foot outside. Out of the corner of her eye, Bernadetta recognized an enraged Dimitri, spear in hand as he squared off against a small legion of hostile soldiers all by himself. And from the looks of the corpses scattered around the prince's feet, he was winning handily.

"Th- this guy's inhuman…!" one of the soldiers fearfully commented upon watching the prince yank his signature spear out of the chest of one of his unfortunate victims.

"Don't make me laugh. You bastards have all lost the right to call yourselves human the moment you decided to slaughter the innocents of this village." Dimitri coldly spat, pointing an accusatory finger at the frightened soldiers with a look of pure malice spread across his face.

It was a sight that eerily reminded Bernadetta of the prince's unhinged mental state during the war.

"Don't worry about the blondie, Kyle. He's one of the good guys." Monica casually comforted the child, softly running one hand through his hair as she brandished a dagger with the other.

"You know, I don't think Dimitri really needs our help…"

"Hey, suit yourself. That just leaves more fun for Dimitri and me!" the redhead gleefully shouted as she rushed in to join the prince's already one sided massacre.

"Did you find my mom and dad in there?" Kyle curiously asked, lightly tugging on Bernadetta's skirt to get her attention.

"Oh, uh… no, we didn't find anyone in there." Bernadetta lied through her teeth, hoping to spare the poor boy from the grizzly scene she had just borne witness to.

"Why don't we trying checking on Castle Gaspard? I've always been told to head there if there was ever an emergency. It should be just over that hill on the far end of town!"

"Sounds like a plan. Just try to stay behind me until we get there, Kyle. There's no telling what might be waiting for us when we arrive…"

"Aw you're worrying too much! Castle Gaspard is like an invincible fortress! There's no they'll let any bad guys through!"

"I hope you're right about that…"

* * *

She never thought she'd even think this, but for once in her life, Bernadetta was glad to have a pair of spears pointed at her face by two on edge guards. Much to the girl's relief, Castle Gaspard had managed to remain standing amidst all the chaos in the town, and not a single imperial could be found anywhere near the premises.

"Hold it right there, stranger! What is your business here?" one of the guards questioned in a loud booming voice, his eyes frantically wandering all across the horizon in search of any signs of an oncoming attack.

"At ease, soldiers. She's with my class." Byleth's voice called out from behind, assuaging the guard's fears enough for them to lower their defenses for the tiny girl before them. "I was wondering where Monica dragged you off to this time, Bernadetta... and who's that behind you?" the teal haired professor peered over his student's shoulder to find Kyle clinging onto the girl's uniform like a stray kitten.

"Ah, well, Professor, this is Kyle. He's a… survivor from the attack on the village."

"So I see. It seems there's been no shortage of refugees at the castle today."

"Just how bad has the situation gotten around here…?"

"To be frank, it's worse than anything I've ever seen, but it will be easier to show you directly." Byleth grimly stated as he offered a welcoming hand to the girl to follow him inside.

To say that the interior of the castle was overflowing with survivors from the village would be something of an understatement. Even with all the people that Lonato had taken along with him as soldiers on his big crusade, the castle's entrance hall was still packed to the brim with panicked survivors visibly worrying or in many cases grieving over the status of the loved ones they'd left behind.

Off in one distant corner, Bernadetta caught wind of a small wing of the room repurposed for housing the wounded, where Mercedes and Marianne were hard at work treating an ever growing number of critically injured patients. All the while, a handful of other students from both classes were up and about aiding the guards and refugees in any way they can.

"Ah, Professor! Bernadetta!" Ashe's voice called out to the pair, his demeanor having lifted since Bernadetta last saw him as the silver haired boy rushed forth to greet them directly. "And little Kyle, I'm so glad you made it out okay!"

"Wow, is that you, Ashe? I haven't seen you in forever! Have you seen my mom and dad around here?" the small child happily responded, his voice filled with a slight tinge of hope as he expectantly looked past Ashe for any trace of his parents.

"No, I'm afraid they haven't shown up here at all. I can't help but fear the worst for them." Ashe shamefully admitted with his head hung down low.

"Well… what about your little siblings, Ashe? Are they doing alright?" Bernadetta quickly asked in a hasty effort to change the subject at hand.

"There's no need to worry about those two. Frightened as they may be, they're both safe and sound within the walls of Castle Gaspard." Ashe confidently responded, a strong hint of relief had washed over his voice as he proceeded to recount the events leading up to the attack on the village.

"All things considered, my biggest concern now is finding a place to stay for all the surviving villagers who lost their homes in the fire. I'm afraid we can't simply keep them all in the castle forever, especially after all our crops and supplies were ransacked in the attack…" Ashe worried aloud as he put a hand to his chin in deep thought.

"Well… why don't we let them stay at the monastery for a while?" Bernadetta immediately offered a solution. "I'm sure the church has more than enough housing and supplies to accommodate everyone."

"Well now, that sounds like a brilliant idea, Bernadetta. I'm sure Lady Rhea would be happy to take in those in need." Byleth readily agreed with his student's suggestion.

"Indeed it is! I should begin making preparations right away, if you'll excuse me." Ashe's eyes lit up like candlelight as he hastily bade his farewells and sprinted off into the castle in the blink of an eye.

"Wow, that's awfully generous of you guys to give us all a new home on such short notice!" Kyle enthusiastically chimed in as he took hold of Bernadetta's hands and began jumping up and down in excitement.

"Ah, you know, I only really brought up the idea. It's the church that will be taking care of you guys more than anything." the lavender haired student raised a hand to her neck in embarrassment as Byleth looked upon the scene with a faint look of amusement on his face.

"_**This is a rather touching sentiment and all, but I believe you might be forgetting something vitally important."**_

"_Er, what do you mean, Sothis?"_

"_**We may not know how many there are exactly, but do you truly believe my daughter will take well to the idea of having a secret group of Agarthans living right under her nose?"**_

"_Ack!"_ the moment of realization hit Bernadetta like a sack of bricks._ "I, er… didn't really think about that… is it too late to go back on this choice or-"_

"_**No, I believe the refugees would have been offered a chance to stay at the monastery sooner or later regardless of your interference. It seems the best course of action from this point will be to keep the true nature of their heritage a secret from everybody."**_

"_Yeah, sure…"_ Bernadetta was mentally sweating bullets at the implications of this sudden shift in the tides of destiny. _"What's the worst that could happen? It's not like we could all get publically executed to serve as an example to any would be Agarthan sympathizers if the secret ever comes out or anything... At this rate, I'll have to spend the rest of my life on the run from the church when they inevitably find me out!"_

"_**You may as well start begging to be hanged if your mind just automatically wanders to the worst case scenario like that…" **_Sothis sighed in exasperation at the overly detailed nature of her companion's fervent fantasies. All things considered, the Goddess was fully aware of the irony of acting against the very church dedicated to her worship... but was it truly a sin to care for those who had done no wrong?


	12. Chapter 11: The Shadows of Ignorance

"I… must apologize once again for my shameful display back at the village. I could not bear the sight of such a horrid injustice, and my mind went completely blank because of it…" Dimitri sternly confessed, his gaze firmly set on the glistening night sky above him as the combined ranks of the Blue Lions and Golden Deer finally began to close in on the outer limits of Garreg Mach.

"What even happened to you, Dimitri? It's like… you were a totally different person out there." Bernadetta hesitantly asked, internally debating whether she should even look the prince in the eyes out of fear of setting him off.

"Isn't it obvious? He can deny it all he wants, but _his royal highness_ is nothing more than bloodthirsty beast pretending to be a man, Bernadetta." Felix cut in, earning him a great number of disapproving stares from his fellow classmates as he peered into the back of Dimitri's skull with barely contained disgust. "You've all seen it for yourselves; how he ruthlessly slaughtered all those soldiers attacking the village… the pure ecstasy and bloodlust in his eyes as the boar dove down that cliff in search of prey-"

"Felix, that's enough!" Sylvain loudly warned in the midst of his friend's furious rant. "He wasn't-"

"And what sort of excuse are you going to make for him? Claiming justice for those who lost their lives is one thing, but can you deny the sadistic joy he took in watching the suffering of those he butchered? Well?" Felix sharply demanded, peering over to a downtrodden Dimitri whose gaze had fallen to the ground below.

The swordsman eagerly expected a response from the blonde prince, but it never came, instead filling the air with an uneasy silence as Dimitri made no effort to refute the claims levied against him.

"Well, I think he was completely justified!" Monica suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes to herself as the redhead took a defiant stand by Dimitri's side. "Can any of you take one look at what those heartless bastards did and tell me they didn't deserve to have their hearts ripped from their chests for it?" she challenged, taking a moment to peer into the eyes of everybody present before continuing. "If anything, Ashe's village was lucky to have as many survivors as it did. If Castle Gaspard hadn't been so close by, or if our classes didn't arrive when we did, there would have been a total massacre! The killing, the pillaging, and the burning… it would have continued until there was nothing left but ash!"

"Monica…" Dimitri's eyes lit up in surprise at the girl's impassioned speech. At that moment, the young prince found himself staring back in the girl's fiery red eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had stared into the deepest abyss of hell, just as he had all those years ago.

Even Bernadetta could hardly believe what she was hearing at this point. Her bloodlust was still as clear as day, but the heartless killer she thought she knew was actually displaying empathy of all emotions. Was this really the same sadistic mastermind that laughed in the faces of those she deemed inferior?

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news again, but I'll need you guys to put your big discussion on hold for now." Catherine suddenly announced, holding another letter in her hand as she stepped into the middle of the fray.

"I don't know if I like that look you're giving me right now…" Sylvain nervously commented upon noticing the knight's troubled expression.

"You'll probably want to hear this most of all, Sylvain. For starters, I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that the Lance of Ruin is still safely within House Gautier's territory, just as you left it."

"What?! Then that means…"

"So… was Lonato's lance actually a replica all this time?" Byleth calmly theorized upon hearing the revelation.

"That would be an accurate way of putting it, yes. That would certainly explain why Lonato's lance and Crest Stone shattered upon his demise…" Catherine confirmed, eliciting a rush of confused murmurings throughout the entire group.

"Is it even possible to create an artificial Hero's Relic? Hell, has anyone even tried before…?" Claude wondered aloud, placing a hand to his chin in deep thought as the house leader's mind began to fill with many troubled thoughts.

"I've never heard of anything like this in my life, but I'm afraid the news doesn't end there." Catherine shook her head in frustration before turning to Sylvain once more. "We've also received reports that your brother Miklan has suddenly vanished from Kingdom territory without a trace."

"Seriously…? You don't think anything happened to him, do you?" Sylvain cautiously asked with his mouth left slightly agape.

"If your brother was killed, we surely would have found some sign of it, but as it stands now, we've got no info whatsoever."

"_I don't like where any of this is going…"_ Bernadetta silently commented as she covertly separated herself from the rest of the group in an effort to clear her mind.

"_**It seems the winds of fate will only continue to veer off the course we know from here." **_

"_Ugh, it's just been one thing after another with this mission… it's giving me a massive headache." _

"_**So you are beginning to feel this strange wave of dizziness as well? How very troublesome."**_ Sothis grimly noted as the purple haired companion proceeded to clutch her head in pain.

"_Please tell me you know something about this…"_

"_**I do; your professor and I have both felt this same sensation before. You should get some rest as soon as possible."**_

"You know, that might just be the best suggestion I've heard all day." Bernadetta perked up slightly upon hearing Goddess's words of advice, craning her head in the direction of the monastery with a faint smile of anticipation. _"Just a little further and you'll be home again soon, Bernie."_

* * *

The first thing on Bernadetta's mind upon setting foot on Garreg Mach once again was to scurry off to the sanctity of her room and plop into her bed face first. These plans… were quickly dashed the moment she came across her former Black Eagle classmates lingering across the monastery's entrance hall with downtrodden expressions spread across their faces.

"Ah, Edelgard. It seems your house must have finished its mission earlier than expected." Dimitri was the first to greet them as he stepped out from his own group to face with Edelgard directly. "Did… something happen to go wrong along the way?" he asked, taking note of the sorrowful atmosphere that seemed to fill the air around them.

"No, we have managed to accomplish our objectives, but the results were… less than savory." Edelgard hesitantly admitted before responding with a query of her own. "And what of yourselves? Did you encounter any unforeseen complications on your mission?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it, Edie." Monica chimed in, sporting an atypically serious look as she emerged from behind Dimitri to reunite with her original class. "Why, we encountered these strange vermin in crimson armor setting fire to Ashe's village shortly after we finished our business with Lord Lonato. Do you happen to know anything about this, Edie?"

"Wh- what…? I've never heard anything about this…"Edelgard exclaimed in genuine surprise, her gaze wandering off to the side as her mind began to race for answers. "Hubert…" she looked over to her trusted retainer with a concerned expression, making sure to consider her next words very carefully under the watchful eyes of her fellow students.

"I'm afraid we're just as starved for information as you are, Monica." Hubert coolly replied. "Perhaps you can start by relaying all that you know for us. I believe this matter will likely warrant further investigation…"

All the while, Bernadetta silently looked upon the unfolding conversation from behind the safety of her professor's body, remaining still as a stone in the hopes that none of her former classmates would notice her.

"Oh, Bern! Thank goodness you're alright!" Dorothea's voice suddenly called out, completely unaffected by the shorter girl's desperate attempts to remain out of sight.

"Gyah…! Uh, hi, Dorothea…" the lavender haired girl reluctantly stepped into view, struggling to maintain a straight face in a vain effort to keep the pain in her head at bay.

"Is it true that Ashe's village was under attack by an unknown force…?" the songstress asked, her voice laced deep with concern.

"Indeed it was. It was a grizzly sight to behold if I'm being frank. We've managed to round up a decent number of survivors, but I fear this isn't something they'll be able to recover from any time soon." Byleth grimly nodded before taking note of a trembling Linhardt lingering just behind Dorothea. "Permit me to ask, but what exactly happened on your mission to the Western Church?"

"Ah, so you've heard about that too. Well, I'm afraid the end result may have been more bittersweet than your own excursion…"

"You don't know the half of it." Linhardt spoke up, his voice filled with disgust as his gaze lingered on the floor beneath him. "This was only supposed to a peaceful negotiation… and it ended up turning into a senseless bloodbath."

"Oh no… did you lose anybody out there…?" Bernadetta asked, her voice filled with concern at the thought of losing any of her old classmates.

"Thankfully, we all came out unscathed, but I can't say the same for denizens of the Western Church… Gods, it was horrible…" Dorothea forced her eyes shut in a vain attempt to repress her recent experiences.

"I've been told that you were all sent to capture the officials of the church… I suppose it would be safe to assume that they sent out soldiers to prevent you from reaching them?" Byleth calmly questioned, his own stoic expression remaining as still as ever.

"Well yeah, we were totally expecting that to happen!" Caspar loudly stepped into the conversation with his own input. "We fought them all off alongside the Knights of Seiros just like any other mission! But… then the knights had other ideas when we finally stepped inside the church…"

"Their conduct was truly despicable." Ferdinand added, his hand perched on his forehead in disbelief as he joined in the retelling of events. "I'm afraid I know little of the man leading our expedition... yet sure enough, there were still defenders waiting to stop us within the church itself, and so we continued our battle as normal..."

"What I am not understanding is why the knights were killing the people that did not wish to fight." Petra shook her head in frustration at the memory of the indiscriminate slaughter that ensued inside the church's sacred walls. "And why did we all do nothing to stop them?"

"_Oh no… you don't think the Western Church was also housing-"_

"_**Yes, I fear that may just be the case. It seems they were not nearly as lucky as the refugees from Ashe's village."**_ Sothis immediately agreed with her companion's concerns before she could even finish her sentence.

"Believe me; I wanted to smack some sense into those knights more than anything, but it all passed so suddenly… damn it!" Caspar audibly grumbled, sharing in Petra's frustration at their class's relative inaction.

"I had no idea… were there… any survivors at all?" Bernadetta nervously asked, to which she was met with an uneasy silence from the entirety of the Black Eagle house.

"So what was stopping you guys?" Monica's voice cut through the silence like a searing knife through flesh.

"In case you haven't noticed, we didn't exactly kill any innocents ourselves." Dorothea snapped back, her voice dripping with venom as she glared back at the redhead with thinly veiled contempt.

"Maybe not, but you still helped out the guys that did it anyway, all morals be damned." Monica returned the songstress's glare with a scornful look of her own.

"Why don't I ask how many people you killed while you were off on your little excursion?"

"As tragic as this event may have been, you must also remember that there were dangerous individuals within the church that had to be eliminated." Edelgard's voice boomed as the Adrestian heir stepped in to diffuse the tension before it could escalate into a more heated conflict.

"Surely there must have been a better way to settle things-" Byleth immediately protested the crimson princess's logic only to be cut off by a dismissive wave of the girl's hand.

"Though it came at a great cost, we ultimately did what was necessary to fulfill our obligations. As it stood, there was no other way to resolve the situation."

"You can't seriously believe that, Edelgard…!" Bernadetta instinctively blurted out, a decision she instantly regretted when her old house leader's attention was drawn directly towards her with an intimidating glower.

"The professor is right, Edelgard. Those people did not deserve to die." Dimitri called out before the princess could say another word.

"And do you believe yourself to be the perfect judge of who deserves to live and die? A few moments ago, I seem to recall hearing that you happily slaughtered the soldiers attacking Ashe's village with utter glee."

"This is different. Those men deserved the fates they were given the moment they cast away their humanity in such a vile manner, especially when their victims were no longer capable exacting justice for themselves." Dimitri refuted, refusing to stand down from his personal claims.

"Look, the way I see it, the two of you should just agree to disagree." Claude suddenly announced, placing himself in between the feuding house leaders without warning. "Perhaps we could all settle our differences over a nice feast between the houses instead?"

"That does sound quite appealing, but I'm afraid we'll all have more pressing matters to attend to first." a commanding voice echoed throughout the room, prompting Byleth's eyes to widen in surprise as the professor immediately recognized the source of it.

"Ah, Father. What brings you here at this hour?"

"I know it's late and all, but Lady Rhea's just called for a school-wide assembly. I don't know why she couldn't have just saved this for tomorrow, but she's expecting all three houses to stand in attendance within the hour." Jeralt flatly explained, much to his own personal reluctance.

"_**Well now, this is quite a surprise. I wonder what that daughter of mine could possibly have to speak about…" **_

"_Ugh, do we really have to do this now? My head is seriously killing me…"_

"_**Then you will just have to grin and bear it until the speech is over. Everyone will surely notice your absence if you scurry off to hide in your room before then."**_

"_Oh, come on…"_ Bernadetta hunched over in defeat as she continued to listen in on Captain Jeralt's conversation. As she might have expected, several students already began to flock around the esteemed knight in the hopes of having a word with him, chief of which was Leonie, who was all but climbing up on the captain's soldiers to grab his attention.

The one thing that really stood out in comparison was the reaction of Monica, who was not nearly as welcoming of Jeralt's presence as her peers. Though the redhead made an active effort to hide her distant scorn, Bernadetta quickly took note of her tightly clenched fist off to the side, which only seemed to grow tighter with every word Jeralt spoke.

Whatever deep seated grudge Monica held on the captain was unknown to her, yet Bernadetta couldn't help but feel a great sense of unease at the way the girl was peering daggers into Jeralt's head. With that, she made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Byleth and his father from now on, just in case.

* * *

"I've never seen so many people packed into a single place before…" Bernadetta mumbled aloud, practically shrinking in place amongst the myriad of students, faculty, and knights flooding the room around her with a loud chorus of rumored chatter.

"Well, I suppose the big announcement did come on short notice. Whatever Rhea has to say must be extremely important." Byleth calmly noted.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. It looks like Rhea and Seteth are about ready to take center stage." Jeralt pointed out as the two green haired officials made their way to the center of the archbishop's room in a serene manner. Their presence alone seemed to silence the massive crowd gathered before them within seconds.

"Now then…" Seteth began, his voice booming through the air with a strong sense of authority. "Loyal followers of the teachings of Seiros… we have gathered you all here in the aftermath of your most recent missions to warn you of a great threat to the peace and tranquility of the lands of Fódlan."

"Indeed. I have been informed of the unsavory outcomes of your recent expeditions to cease the advances of Lord Lonato and the Western Church." Rhea recounted the circumstances leading up to this assembly as she began her own address. "Civilians or not, we must punish any sinners who wish to inflict harm upon believers. With that said, the blood spilled in these recent events has been nothing short of astronomical, and for that, I can only hope the souls of the departed are able to find peace with the Goddess."

"That's a pretty sly way of saying you hope they all burn in hell."

"Quiet, Monica!" Bernadetta urgently shushed the redhead's snide remarks in a desperate bid to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.

"You have all done a commendable job of subduing the immediate dangers posed by these vengeful renegades, yet I'm afraid our troubles are far from over on that end." Seteth grimly stated as he held out a large scroll with one hand. "I'm sure you must have been made aware of the ongoing plot to assassinate Lady Rhea we've uncovered with the efforts of the Blue Lion and Golden Deer houses. It is with this revelation that we have unveiled the presence of a far greater foe lurking from behind the scenes of the Western Church." the green haired official continued, unfolding the outstretched scroll to reveal the uncannily familiar sigil of a jet black serpent curling around to devour its own tail.

"_Wait a minute… that was the symbol we found on Lord Lonato's letter…!"_

"_**Indeed it was... I cannot help but feel an uncanny sense of familiarity from this sigil…"**_

"There has been a secret society slithering through the annals of our history since before even the Dawn of Fódlan…" Rhea calmly explained, her eyes filled with a controlled, yet overflowing sense of animosity towards the society in question. "In their unending hubris, these twisted snakes have continued to threaten the harmony of our lands for well over a millennia. In spite of the Church of Seiros's constant efforts to stamp them out of the shadowy pits they call home, they have always found a way to endure through the searing judgement we have enforced upon them time and time again."

"They have taken to calling themselves Ouroboros… a symbol of eternity, if you will, and a perfect representation of the vicious cycle they have trapped themselves in as a result of their own self destructive actions." Seteth informed, just in time for Rhea to abruptly cleave the outstretched scroll in half with a concealed rapier she had been carrying for just such an occasion.

"I consider this an annoyingly tenacious serpent, to say the least. No matter how many times you slice off its head, it always finds a way to regrow it as if nothing had happened."

For just a moment, Bernadetta caught Monica flashing a small smirk on the edge of her lips out of the corner of her eye as Rhea looked upon the remains of the bisected sigil with overwhelming scorn.

"I trust you may have all surmised this by now, but the members of this society were the hidden masterminds behind the actions of Lord Lonato and the Western Church. Signs of their emergence have been steadily piling up throughout the past couple of moons, which only makes the reveal of this assassination plot all the more troubling, especially with the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth just around the horizon."

"Indeed it has, Seteth." Rhea simply gave her advisor a gentle nod before allowing him to continue.

"This brings us to your collective mission for the coming moon. As you may have been told, the efforts of the Blue Lion and Golden Deer houses have recently uncovered a sinister plot to assassinate the archbishop on the day of the ritual. To that end, you are all to act as on site security for the monastery from now until the end of the Rite. It is far from ideal to be mobilizing students for such a task, but I fear even the knights do not have enough hands available to properly deal with this looming threat."

"Know that we cannot turn a blind eye to those who would blaspheme so heinously, and this goes tenfold for the snakes of the Society. Should you ever come across one of them, they are to be captured immediately or killed on sight at your discretion. Though they have ways of hiding their true appearances, they can easily be identified by their pale white skin and blood as black as night."

"_She… really has no idea about the refugees from the village, does she?"_

"_**And we had best keep it that way if we wish to avoid more unnecessary bloodshed."**_

"I fully realize that there are those among you who may be adverse to such… extreme measures, but you must know that the only blade that can dispel calamity is one forged from unshaking reason, and the iron will to do what must be done. For with the eternal blessings of the Goddess Sothis, you shall all be guided to a world free of discord and strife. Cast aside your doubt, and continue down this path, and one day… all of your sufferings shall be nothing but a distant memory!" Rhea finally concluded with a grand sweep of her arm, to which she was met with thunderous applause from the vast crowd that had gathered before her.

"_**It… fills me with great unease to hear my name used as the justification for this cause…"**_

"_No kidding… I won't deny how dangerous the Society is, but to mark every last Agarthan for death by proxy is just…"_

"Wow. That was an amazingly corny speech." Bernadetta's thoughts were cut short by another snide remark from Monica, who responded to Rhea's conclusion with a slow, yet clearly condescending series of claps. To the other side, she found Byleth with an utterly bewildered look on his face. If memory serves, this may just be the first time he'd ever heard Rhea speak the Goddess's name aloud.

There were certainly more questions than answers in this situation, but the lingering pain in Bernadetta's head left her with little concentration to even think about investigating further. With the assembly concluded and under the cover of a chorus of clamors, the violet haired girl retreated to the sanctuary of her room refresh her mind for the days to come.


	13. Chapter 12: To Wander in Darkness

_Bernadetta let out a sigh of resignation as she calmly reached into the shadows before her to retrieve a tray full of assorted tea supplies. Slowly, but surely, the violet haired girl used the sounds of the eroded floorboards beneath her feet to navigate her way through the darkness permeating the air. _

_Her intended destination: a dimly lit table in the middle of the room, acting as a faint beacon of light in this vast ocean of shadows. Though her view was further obscured by the disheveled strands of hair lingering in front of her face, Bernadetta put on a welcoming smile upon finally reaching the candle-lit table, where a pair of identical seats on both sides silently awaited her arrival. _

_Perched atop the closest seat to her was a familiar stuffed bear garbed in a comfy looking blue suit, the sight of which brought a flurry of cherished memories rushing to her mind. Yet the girl was swiftly given a grim reminder of why she was here in the first place when her gaze wandered down to the gaping hole in the bear's chest and a rusted Sword of the Creator idly leaning on the side of the chair. _

_Ignoring the loud grumbling in her stomach that erupted shortly afterward, the girl dutifully placed her tray down on the table and proceeded to pour a pair of hot, steaming cups for both herself and the unmoving bear. With the preparations finally complete, Bernadetta readily claimed the remaining seat for herself, and simply sat in silence as she watched the unmoving stuffed doll on the other side of the table. _

_The tea in both cups went untouched for an excruciating amount of time, in which Bernadetta instead opted to blankly stare her beloved stuffed teddy with barely held back tears. Her gaze restlessly wandered back and forth between the doll's eyes and the empty hole in its chest before the silence was eventually broken._

'_I'm sorry… please forgive me… I'm really, really sorry…!" Bernadetta finally cried out, reaching out from across the table to snatch her stuffed bear away from its seat, unceremoniously knocking the toy's teacup over along the way._

"_We had such a bright future ahead of us… we were so close to getting our own happily ever after together… and then I just had to ruin everything at the last second!" the purple haired recluse tearfully broke down as she pulled the doll into a tight embrace. Too emotionally overwhelmed to speak another word, she maintained her hold on the bear for what seemed to be an eternally before finally deciding to place it firmly on her lap._

_With a quiet whimper, she slowly reached into her pockets to retrieve a small unmarked packet, tore a hole across the top, and shakily emptied its white, powdery contents into her now cooled teacup. She spent a few tense moments of hesitation staring into the unassuming liquid before her in contemplation before eventually taking hold of the cup and lifting up to her mouth._

"_Just wait for me a little longer… I'll be home again soon…" _

* * *

Bernadetta awoke with a loud gasp, her breathing severely labored as she frantically scanned the familiar surroundings of her beloved room. The headache she suffered from the night before was a thing of the past, but in its place was an even greater heartache that gnawed away at her every fiber. The bedsheets in her hands were stained wet with the tears she had unconsciously shed over the course of the night, and her entire body began shivering uncontrollably the moment she sat herself up.

"I thought I was past these…"

Just off to the side, she found a familiar teddy bear sprawled out on the floor, similar in stature to the one from her dream, albeit with its chest left fully intact. Breathing a light sigh of relief, Bernadetta slowly rose up to pluck the toy off the floor and safely tuck it underneath the blankets where she'd just laid moments ago.

"…I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need some fresh air." the lilac haired recluse flatly stated after a while, having motionlessly stared at the bear for a minute straight. Though still under the effects of drowsiness, she slowly sauntered her way to the door, a single key firmly in hand as she made an active effort to avoid setting off any of the traps she had laid about the area.

Upon finally arriving outside, Bernadetta instantly froze in place, internally debating whether or not to dart off to the left, just as she had always done in her original time. The negative thoughts plaguing her mind would surely disappear in an instant if she simply threw herself into her professor's arms once again, and yet…

Instead, the girl violently shook her head and set out in the opposite direction with no clear destination in mind. She aimlessly wandered through the monastery's empty grounds, and only came to a stop upon coming across the monastery's fishing lake, where she instinctively walked over to the edge of the pier to stare blankly into the water below. A disappointed sigh escaped her lips as Bernadetta found her younger form staring back at her, having hoped against all odds to catch a glimpse of her older, more developed self instead.

"_**Are you just going to stand here moping for the rest of the night?" **_Sothis tiredly asked out of nowhere, letting out a tired yawn as her purple haired companion continued to peer into her own reflection.

"_I'm not bothering anyone, am I?!" _Bernadetta sharply snapped back against the Goddess's inquiry. _"I just don't know what else I can do right now…"_

"_**Is there anything preventing you from simply going to see your professor? I know your heart desires it."**_

"No- yes, I mean- argh!" Bernadetta audibly groaned, frustrated at her inability to form a coherent reply. _"It's not as easy as you're making it out to be! I can't just go up to Byleth and tell him I'm from the future! He'll think I'm crazy!"_ she took a moment to look up from the water's surface before continuing. _"Why did By even choose to save me back then? I clearly wasn't worth it…!"_

"_**You should not dare to speak of such a thing so lightly." **_Sothis sternly warned, her tone growing more serious with every word. _**"That is the gravest insult possible to his memory."**_

"_Don't you get it?! I should have been the one to die in his place… and I'm not even remotely cut out for changing the future like this! If anything, I've only made things worse!" _Bernadetta forced her eyes shut as she mentally cried out in anguish. She remained silent for a few moments thereafter, expecting to hear a scathing reply from Sothis in return, yet it never came.

Instead, her eyes were forced back open when she felt a tiny hand impact the side of her cheek, carrying enough force to nearly knock the girl right off her feet. When she returned to her senses, Bernadetta was surprised to find herself standing in a familiar black void as a livid Sothis stared back at her with a look of disappointment and annoyance.

"O- ow… you're supposed to use the front of your palm when you slap somebody…"

"_**Is that truly your greatest concern at the moment?"**_ Sothis asked in exasperation as her companion placed a hand to her reddened cheek in pain. _**"Regardless, there is something I wish to show you..."**_

With the snap of a finger, a large window of light suddenly appeared within the void. A single look inside would reveal a scene that Bernadetta recognized all too well. It was a vision of her future self's fateful encounter with Nemesis. It was a vivid memory she desperately wished she could forget.

"_**You are not to look away under any circumstances."**_ Sothis cautioned as the vision proceeded to show Bernadetta's older self tumbling off her horse to the muddy ground below. Everything was just as she recalled it. The lavender haired archer was left cowering on the ground, awaiting what seemed to be certain death from a bloodthirsty warlord, all while Byleth desperately rushed to the scene, Sword of the Creator outstretched to strike at Nemesis from behind.

"What…?"

It only went to serve as a great shock to Bernadetta as she witnessed herself getting skewered by her attacker's cursed blade. With an ear piercing cry of anguish that soon followed, Byleth immediately rewound the hands of time to change his lover's grizzly fate, but to no avail. Bernadetta saw herself helplessly struck down once again as Nemesis deftly avoided an explosion of magical energy that erupted under his feet.

It seemed that no amount of adjustments to the professor's strategy could prevent this tragic result from coming to pass. To Bernadetta, it was naturally unsettling to watch herself getting killed in so many different fashions, but it was the increasing despair on her husband's face that truly hurt to watch more than anything.

One Divine Pulse after another, Byleth threw himself at Nemesis with reckless abandon until he finally managed to lay a retaliatory slash across the old warrior's back, and even then he was still too late to change his lover's fate. Instinctively, Bernadetta tried to reach out her hand to comfort the professor as he sorrowfully kneeled down to cradle her lifeless body in his arms, only to ineffectively pass right through the ongoing vision like a ghost through a wall.

"_**Nobody could have anticipated the twist in fate that came after, but now do you understand the price that was paid to grant you this opportunity?" **_Sothis calmly asked. Bernadetta could only manage to let out a weak whimper and a weary nod in response as Byleth triggered his final remaining Divine Pulse. From here, the ensuing events played out just as she remembered them, with her beloved professor willingly trading his life for hers and impaling himself with his own blade to deal a single decisive blow to Nemesis.

"I… I see…"

"_**I should not have to spell this out for you, but the Byleth you knew would never wish for you to give up on yourself so easily. Nor do I believe you should allow this once in a lifetime opportunity of yours to go to waste." **_

"Yeah… you're right…" Bernadetta quietly muttered as she hastily wiped away the tears that had fallen down her face during her recollection. "I really owe him that much… and if he went through this much trouble to save _me_ from my fate, then what happened with Jeralt…"

"_**History has a strange way of repeating itself."**_ Sothis claimed as the black void surrounding the pair began to dissipate, bringing her human companion back to reality in a matter of seconds. _**"As you've seen for yourself, there are some fates that simply cannot be averted. What happened with you was nothing short of a miracle, if I am to be frank."**_

"Then I'll just have to make the most of that miracle." Bernadetta resolutely stated. With a hand clenched over her still aching heart, she turned around to return to her den for the night… only to abruptly stop in her tracks the moment she noticed two unknown figures speaking with each other atop the stairs to the dining hall.

In a panic, the girl instinctively turned back the clock by several minutes and leaped into the nearby fishing shack to conceal her petite frame from sight. It didn't take long for one of the two figures to reveal itself to the girl in hiding: it was none other than the masked professor Jeritza, who scanned the environment around him with the eyes of a hawk as he slowly patrolled the seemingly vacant road before him.

Bernadetta didn't dare to move a muscle as she watched the enigmatic professor slowly climb the stairs to the dining hall to meet with a strange hooded man carrying a small pouch in his hands. After a relatively brief exchange of words, the hooded figure disappeared in a puff of smoke, after which Jeritza proceeded to set out in the direction of the monastery's main gate.

"Professor _Jeritza… what could he possibly be up to at this hour?"_

"_**You had best think twice before deciding to follow after him."**_

"_No, I've made up my mind. I'll need to take some more active measures if I really want to make a difference from now on."_ Bernadetta quickly dismissed the Goddess's words of warning as she set out to trail the masked professor's movements from the shadows._ "Besides, I can always retrace my steps if he ever manages to catch me. How hard could it be?"_

"_**I genuinely wish you would refrain from tempting fate like that…"**_

* * *

"Greetings, Professor Jeritza! Nothing to report! Off on another expedition to town, are you?"

"Do you have to go out of your way to bother me every time I leave the monastery?" Jeritza replied to the Gatekeeper's enthusiastic greeting with a scowl of thinly veiled annoyance.

"Well, of course! No soul can slip in or out of these gates without me noticing!" the cheerful guard proudly proclaimed, blissfully unaware of a certain purple haired student slinking off into the deserted marketplace below.

"Of that, I am painfully aware…"

"I swear that one time was only an accident! I thought you were a kidnapper coming to snatch away one of the students!"

"_If only you knew…" _Bernadetta silently commented as she slipped her head out from behind an abandoned stall.

"_**If he's heading out into town, you can't expect to continue stalking him out in the open like this. People are bound to take notice of you."**_

"_Don't worry, I thought about that ahead of time. I've got just the thing for the occasion!" _Bernadetta confidently proclaimed as she opened up an unmarked book out of nowhere.

"…_**Were you just carrying that around with you this entire time?"**_

"_There's no time to question it, Jeritza's already on his way out!" _Bernadetta deflected, quickly ducking underneath the stall before the masked professor could look in her direction. Once Jeritza stepped foot outside the monastery, his purple haired pursuer quickly followed suit, vaguely pretending to bury her nose in her novel as she slipped through the gate into town.

Much to Bernadetta's surprise, the town's streets were still relatively packed with people, even at this late hour. Risky as the prospect was, she was left with no choice but to stalk Jeritza from a closer distance if she didn't want to lose him within the crowd. Thus, ignorant of the many odd stares she received from folks passing by, the girl proceeded to throw herself into the fray without hesitation.

Such a change of plans slowed down the process considerably to say the least, as Bernadetta instinctively jumped back in time whenever Jeritza so much as glanced in her general direction. With her own gaze constantly alternating between the contents of her book and the movements of her target, there were many moments where she failed to notice the tails of resting cats or shards of shattered glass strewn about the ground.

Although it took a great number of delays to make it so far, Bernadetta's pursuit was allowed to come to a temporary halt when Jeritza paused at the doorway of a seemingly inconspicuous house. Within moments, a shady figure emerged from within to engage in a light conversation with the masked professor. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, the girl found a dark corner to take refuge in and spy on the professor's discussion from behind the safety of her precious book.

Granted, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary with the scene unfolding before her eyes, yet deep within her mind, Bernadetta was thoroughly convinced that the aloof masked man was up to no good. It was only a matter of time until-

"What's up, Bernadetta?"

"GYAAAAH!" the timid girl instantly let out a startled scream and jumped back in time once again before she could even pinpoint the identity of the person who snuck up on her.

Making a mental note to steer clear of the corner she was just hiding in, Bernadetta shielded her face with her book as her eyes frantically darted around the area in search of an alternative location. But as fate would have it, this plan would also fall flat on its face when an unfamiliar finger tapped the girl on the shoulder in the midst of her intense brainstorming session.

"What's up, Bernadetta?" the same voice from before cheerfully parroted a greeting. Suppressing the urge to scream, the purple haired time traveler turned around to find Sylvain beaming a welcoming smile in her direction. "I don't think I've ever seen you out on the town like this, especially not at such a late hour. Do you have a secret date lined up with someone?"

"Oh, hi Sylvain… fancy meeting you here…" Bernadetta courteously returned the redhead's enthusiastic greeting. _"I don't have time to deal with this now…" _she silently added, shielding her face with the pages of her novel as she expectantly waited for time to rewind once again… only to be met with an awkward silence as Sylvain awaited a proper answer from the girl.

"_Why isn't this working…? Why isn't this working?!"_

"_**I believe you may have used up the last reserves of my powers for the night."**_

"_What?! Couldn't you have warned me about this earlier?!" _Bernadetta angrily questioned the Goddess's casual admission.

"_**Do not place the blame on me for your inability to manage your own abilities!" **_

"So, you know, it's not exactly safe for a girl like you to be out wandering the streets so late. Haven't you heard rumors of the Death Knight floating about lately?" Sylvain eventually interrupted the shorter girl's internal argument with a tone of genuine concern.

"Oh no, I've heard all about those stories. How a mysterious masked figure has gone around kidnapping unsuspecting maidens in the middle of the night…" Bernadetta subtly leaned around to stare at Jeritza for a short moment, who was luckily still embroiled in his own conversation. "I can totally watch out for myself, though."

"You didn't exactly see me coming with your nose buried so deep in your book like that." Sylvain smirkingly retorted with a raised eyebrow. "Then again, that must be a really good book if it's managed to grab your attention so thoroughly."

"Oh, yeah, it sure is…!" Bernadetta lightly chuckled. "I just can't get enough of this story. I can hardly wait for the next volume to come out, you know?" she spat out the first excuse that came to mind in the hopes of diverting Sylvain's attention away from herself.

"Ooh, that sure sounds promising. I don't think I've ever seen this particular novel before, though. Would you mind if I had a look for myself?"

"Sure, I don't see why not…" Bernadetta let out a short sigh of relief as she handed the book off to Sylvain. She didn't exactly pay much attention to its contents herself, but judging from the way the Blue Lion student's eyes lit up at the open pages, it must have been just as good as her description implied.

"Wow… this really is incredible! It kinda reminds me of that manuscript of yours I found in the library a while ago."

"Yeah, it's… wait, what was that?" Bernadetta's jaw dropped slightly at the mention of her manuscript.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to hand it back to you for ages since you left it behind in the library, but I just wound up reading through the whole thing before I had the chance. It's a really impressive piece of work."

"_Just… accept… the compliment, Bernie…"_ Bernadetta desperately told herself before she could say anything she'd potentially regret. "Is that so…? I'm… happy to hear someone liked it so much…"

"You bet I liked it! And this story feels so simila-" Sylvain's eyes suddenly widened in shock before he could finish his sentence. "Whoa, this is different…"

"Er, what's different…?" Bernadetta asked, a tone of dread creeping into her voice as she noticed Jeritza wrapping up his own conversation out of the corner of her eye.

"This chapter in the middle is, uh… I think I'll just read it out loud for you."

Bernadetta felt a lump form in her throat as Sylvain cleared his throat in preparation. Worse still, it seemed as if Jeritza was just starting to take his leave as well. She could only hope that she could wrap up this literary discussion of hers as soon as possible.

"A mischievous smile formed upon the reclusive heroine's supple lips as she peered into her professor's hypnotizing blue eyes. This was her opportunity to claim his body as her own." Sylvain began, eliciting a horrified gasp of realization from Bernadetta. "In the blink of an eye, the heroine suddenly threw herself into the professor with all her might, sending the two of them tumbling into the soft bedsheets below. With an eager nod of consent from her love interest, the heroine proceeded to reach for his trousers and-"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Bernadetta cried out in abject horror before Sylvain could continue any further. Now acting on pure fight or flight instinct, the lavender haired student violently snatched her book away from the boy's hands and planted a single debilitating kick right between his legs.

"UGH…! C- critical hit to the sacred stones…!" Sylvain wheezed in a high pitched voice as he crumpled to the ground with an undignified thud.

"Oh, gods, I'm so sorry!" Bernadetta apologized in shame upon realizing what she'd just done, wincing in sympathy as Sylvain clutched his shattered groin in a display of unimaginable pain. Faced with few other options on her end, the girl hastily threw her novel into a nearby alleyway and reluctantly ran off to leave Sylvain to wallow in his own misery.

"I… I promise I'll make this up to you some other time, alright?!" Bernadetta hastily called out as she darted off into the streets in search of Jeritza, who was shockingly nowhere to be found. Frantically, she continued to run down the path in the vain hope of catching another glimpse of the masked man, but her search ultimately turned up empty after a full two minutes of scanning the darkened streets around every corner.

"…Great. That's just great. I completely lost him… I think that's enough aimless wandering for one night…"

"Stealth is hardly your area of expertise, to say the least."

"Gyah! Who said that?! Whatever it is you're plotting, it won't work! I'll fight you-" Bernadetta immediately erupted into a frantic rant, only for her words to fall flat the moment she turned around to find Hubert staring down at her with an unamused expression on his face.

"I would advise against attempting to castrate me like you did with Sylvain earlier." the enigmatic retainer grimly warned, much to his former classmate's visible terror.

"Ah, er… Hubert…! Wh- what are you doing up at this hour?!" Bernadetta instantly fell back on her old cowering instincts under the dark mage's intimidating presence.

"I believe you should be more concerned with your own predicament, Bernadetta."

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it! You can't have me executed without any proof!" the purple haired recluse fearfully backed away as Hubert reached into his pockets with a sinister chuckle. However, rather than an assassin's knife, the item Hubert procured in his hands turned out to be the unmarked novel Bernadetta had tossed away just moments ago.

"It was rather careless of you to discard of such an… intricately detailed piece of literature like this."

"Intricately detailed… you didn't happen to read any of that, did you…?" Bernadetta nervously asked, internally dreading the answer that was sure to come next.

"Why, I couldn't possibly resist the temptation. And I must say, the author of this novel seems rather familiar… I trust you must have heard the name Erica von Eisner before?" Hubert asked with a fiendishly knowing grin.

"I- I didn't write any of it if that's what you're trying to imply! Th- that's just my mother's name!"

"Your mother's name is Theresa von Varley, and there are no other Eisners to be found other than your professor and his father." Hubert saw through the girl's lies as if he were peering through an open window. "I can easily recognize a poorly masked pseudonym when I see one."

"…Goddess, please strike me down right this instant."

"_**I'm afraid I must decline. This embarrassment is yours to suffer alone."**_

"I'm sure it would do us both a world of good if you refrained from explaining your disturbing fantasies regarding your professor." Hubert shortly cut in as he leaned forth to offer the girl's book back to her. "Now then, since I've done you a favor, perhaps you could repay me by answering a simple question…" the retainer continued, prompting an audible gulp from his former classmate in response. "Why have you been stalking Professor Jeritza around town like a serpent in the grass?"

"Y- you couldn't possibly know that…!"

"I serve as Lady Edelgard's eyes and ears throughout every corner of Garreg Mach. There is little I do not know." Hubert boldly proclaimed.

"Okay, I believe you!" Bernadetta immediately threw her hands up in innocence. Such a bold statement would likely come off as incessant bragging from any other individual, but she could clearly see that Hubert truly meant every word he said. "I just happened to come across Jeritza in the middle of one of his patrols, and I got curious enough to follow him when I saw him leaving the monastery… I swear that's all there is to it!"

"So I see… you would do well to avoid sticking your nose where it doesn't belong if you wish to avoid any unnecessary trouble, Bernadetta." Hubert sternly warned, eliciting an even louder gulp from his former colleague. "Lady Edelgard's words of caution, not mine. I would heed them to the letter if I were you."

"A- and if I refused…?" Bernadetta reluctantly asked, mentally slapping herself for even daring to think such a thought.

"My, you've certainly grown quite bold lately, haven't you? It would be a real shame if this empowered spirit of yours were to be snuffed out. I'm sure it could have been put to better use with if only it served a different purpose." Hubert left Bernadetta with one last sinister chuckle, leaving the girl frozen in fear until he finally left her sight altogether.

With Edelgard's loyal retainer no longer breathing down her neck, Bernadetta was free to release a held breath of her own as her back hunched forward in a tired heap. Now was definitely a good time to return to the monastery and claim what few hours of sleep she could before the dawn of the next day.


	14. Chapter 13: The Best-Laid Plans

"I can't thank you all enough for coming to my aid today, especially after all the news we've been bombarded with recently."

"Knowing you, you probably would have broken your back carrying all this weight yourself if Bernadetta hadn't caught you this morning, Ashe." Felix chided the silver haired boy as he carried a large bookshelf into the vacant building with the aid of Leonie.

"I wasn't intending to trouble any of you over something so trivial..." Ashe sheepishly scratched the back of his neck before continuing to sweep away at the dusty floors surrounding him. "My own personal discomfort is only a minor sacrifice compared to the needs of those who have lost everything dear to them."

"Kyle and the other village survivors are due to arrive in just another week, correct?" Byleth asked, receiving a simple nod of confirmation from Ashe in return. "That doesn't leave us with much time to prepare…"

"It's undoubtedly a tall order, but I owe it to Lonato to forge a better future for those he's left behind. With the threat of Ouroboros still hanging overhead, his people need a safe haven to call their own above all else."

"You owe it to him and those who were left behind, huh?" Bernadetta quietly muttered to herself, dusting off an ornate dresser in a distant corner while the renovations continued to progress around her.

"Well hey; I can't really blame you for that. I know I'd do the same thing if the folks from my village ever lost their homes." Leonie readily agreed with the Blue Lion's concerns as she knelt down to place her bookshelf on the far end of the room.

"By the way, did any of you guys happen to see Sylvain on the way here? It doesn't seem like him to skimp out on a big group project with his friends. Hell, even _Hilda_ agreed to show up for this."

"Hey, I can help out when I want to, Claude! Just… so long as I don't have to lift anything heavier than a feather duster."

"Oh, I heard he had a… particularly bad date earlier this week." Bernadetta sheepishly answered, twiddling her fingers together in memory of the fateful event. "Not that I'd know anything about it, of course!"

"Ugh, figures. He always has to act like his hopes and dreams were crushed every time a girl turns him down. It's embarrassing." Ingrid sighed in exasperation, cradling a hand to her forehead as she knelt down to hammer a loose floorboard into place.

"_That's actually a pretty accurate way of putting it in this case…"_

"Then we'll all have to work twice as hard in his absence!"

"I couldn't agree more, Annette… say, do you think you could help me move this dresser into one of the bedrooms?" Bernadetta requested, having bent down on one side of the item in a visible struggle to lift it off the floor.

"I'll be there in a sec, Bernie!" Annette eagerly complied as she rushed over to the opposite side of the dresser to aid in her fellow student's efforts. "…Yikes, this thing weighs a ton! I can barely keep my grip on the bottom…! Did you pack the inside full of bricks or something?"

"That looks like an awful lot for you two to handle on your own. Want me to pitch in too?"

"I appreciate the offer, Raphael, but I'm sure we can handle this." Bernadetta kindly declined her towering classmate's offer. "We'll pull up on the count of three, Annette." She instructed, receiving a short nod of understanding in return. With a pair of strained huffs from both girls, the two of them proceeded to weakly lift the dresser off the floor and ferry it across the room at an uncomfortably unsteady pace.

Naturally, it wasn't long before disaster struck in the form of a single misplaced plank of wood, causing Annette to lose her grip on the dresser and send it crashing down to the floor below with a resounding boom... where its right leg subsequently landed right on top of Bernadetta's exposed foot.

"AAAAGGHHH!"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Annette threw her arms into the air in a panic as Raphael quickly rushed in to lift the dresser off his shorter classmate's crushed foot with relative ease.

"I- it's fine, really. A little scratch won't stop me." Bernadetta attempted to calm the panicking mage with a reassuring, yet clearly pained smile.

"That didn't sound like a little scratch to me. I could have sworn I heard something crack under there, and it sure as hell wasn't a floorboard." Claude commented, his face grimacing with sympathy as he approached the young girl to examine her injury closer.

"Heh… do you really think it was that bad…?" Bernadetta nervously asked, abruptly swinging her foot away from the concerned house leader before he could get a better look at the injury.

"Well, I don't think you should be doing any more heavy lifting in this condition." Byleth pondered aloud at his pupil's current position.

"A- are you sure? I think I can still walk just fine…"

"You've already been hard at work since the early hours of the morning…" the professor noted with concern, his gaze transfixed on the noticeable limp in his student's steps. "If you think you're still up for it, we could have you retrieve some light supplies for us, but I'd much rather have you rest for now."

"No, no, that sounds perfect! Just tell me what you need and I'll be back, er… eventually!"

"Well then, I'd be perfectly willing to accompany you if you would allow me." Dimitri eagerly offered his services without hesitation.

"Ooh, me too! I'm sure you'll need all the help you can get!"

"Nice try, Hilda." Claude instantly saw through his pink haired companion's intentions, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder with a knowing smirk.

"No, that's okay… it's just a minor delivery, right? I think I can afford to take my time here." Bernadetta shortly declined her classmate's offers as she looked to her professor expectantly.

"If you say so... I only need you to collect some painting supplies from the classroom, but please try not to aggravate your foot further along the way."

"Not a problem, Professor. I'll have everything ready before you know it!" Bernadetta returned her professor's words of caution with a cheerful wave of her hand before setting out the front door onto the empty streets outside. Though her progress was largely hampered by the limp in her foot, she steadily made her way back towards her destination, constantly looking back every few seconds in the fear that one of her classmates may still be watching her.

When she finally made sure that she was absolutely out of sight, Bernadetta breathed a light sigh of relief and broke off into a full sprint in the direction of the western side of the academy.

"_**I can hardly believe that actually worked... you truly have a more devious mind than I have given you credit for."**_

"_What the others don't know won't hurt them, right…?" _Bernadetta nervously asked herself as she mindfully swept past the small squadron of knights patrolling the area around her._ "I know how underhanded this looks, but this is easily the perfect time for me to slip into the Holy Mausoleum by myself. With the Knight's security spread so thin, the Black Eagles busy patrolling the town, and the remaining houses preoccupied with helping Ashe, I should be able to swoop into the tomb, snatch up the Sword of the Creator, and make myself scarce before anyone suspects a thing!"_

"_**I must admit I have my doubts about this scheme of yours… are you sure this is such a good idea?"**_

"_Don't worry; I've got everything planned out. When those tomb raiders eventually arrive on the Rite of Rebirth to try and take the sword for themselves, they'll all be forced to leave when they find an empty coffin in its place! What could possibly go-"_

"_**Please don't finish that question, for both our sakes..."**_

* * *

Before she could even consider stepping foot inside the monastery's grand cathedral, Bernadetta's first order of business was to pay a last minute visit to her room. Once inside, she deftly locked the door behind her and removed her right shoe to reveal a thin, cracked sheet of metal resting atop her foot. Making sure to discard of the tool behind her faked injury, she then proceeded to retrieve her personal crossbow and pocket as many arrows as she could conceal on her person.

"_**Expecting a skirmish, are you?"**_

"_You can never be too sure, right…?" _ Bernadetta nervously answered the Goddess's inquiry as she pocketed a single vulnerary for some extra insurance. _"I seriously hope there's no one else down there, but if worst comes to worst, I can at least clear the monastery of threats before Kyle and the other villagers arrive within the week…"_

"_**If there are foes waiting for you in the tomb, should you not consider bringing others to aid you?"**_

"_No way; I can't afford to attract any more attention to myself."_ Bernadetta immediately refuted her companion's suggestion with a firm shake of her head. _"The only way we're going to shake up our enemy's plans is if I do so myself."_

"_**Just take care not to throw your life away on part of a single miscalculation."**_

Heeding Sothis's cautionary words, Bernadetta quietly slipped out her room's back window and hurriedly set out for the monastery's cathedral. As expected, there were very few knights patrolling this section of the monastery at this hour of the day, but the archer knew full well that her window of opportunity would not last too long.

With the eyes of a hawk, she meticulously scanned the inside of the building for any signs of movement before darting across the deserted hall to her intended destination. With the doors to the Holy Mausoleum left completely unattended, Bernadetta was free to slip right through and descend the lengthy, ancient stairway that lied within.

"It sure is dark down here… I should have brought a torch while I was at it…" Bernadetta commented to nobody in particular. The path leading to the coffin of Saint Seiros turned out to be much longer than she had anticipated, and she had to take great care to avoid losing her footing on the eroded steps beneath her. She had already been forced to make use of a single Divine Pulse to undo an ill-timed tumble along the way.

The girl instinctively froze in her tracks upon hearing even the slightest sound from any direction. She could hardly tell if her mind was simply playing tricks on her at this point, but it was more than enough for Bernadetta to dread the prospect of what could be waiting for her as she finally approached the bottom of the stairwell…

"Oh god…! Look out beloooow!" a loud, boisterous voice suddenly warned from behind. With a startled shout, Bernadetta immediately whipped out her crossbow and turned around to find a familiar head of cyan hair lying beneath her with widened eyes.

"C-c-c- Caspar?! What are you doing here?!"

"Uh, we're following you, duh!" the Black Eagle student answered in a matter of fact fashion.

"D- did you just say we?!" Bernadetta repeated in shock, looking up to find the remainder of her old classmates, sans Edelgard and Hubert, staring down at her from further up the stairs.

"Ugh, dammit Caspar!" Dorothea grumbled as she slapped a hand to her forehead in frustration.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…! You guys aren't supposed to be here!"

"I believe the same can be said of you, Bernadetta." Ferdinand shot back at the girl's claims with an equally valid assertion of his own. "What exactly brings you to this secluded corner of the monastery on this day?"

"Th- that's none of your concern…! How did you guys even know I was here?! You were supposed to be in town!"

"I'm sure anyone could tell you were up to _something_ if they caught you breaking from an obviously exaggerated limp to a full speed dash in the blink of an eye." Linhardt casually informed.

"Exaggerated?"

"You're not a very convincing actress, Bern." Dorothea giggled, much to her purple haired schoolmate's visible embarrassment. "Take it from someone who's been in show business as long as I have."

"Oh, and Caspar, if you could please lift yourself off the floor… it is very impolite to stare up a lady's skirt like that." Ferdinand added, nearly causing Bernadetta to kick the oblivious boy in the head in a panic.

"Something seems to be troubling you greatly, Bernadetta. Is there something you wish to be telling us?" Petra asked, a strong tone of concern filling her voice as the girl in question hastily backed away from her old classmates.

"Yes- I mean no- it's just… agh!" Bernadetta groaned in irritation under the watchful stares of the Black Eagles looking down on her. _"This is all going horribly wrong… that's it, I'm pulling the plug on this-"_

"_**Not so fast!" **_Sothis warned before her companion could even attempt to jump back in time. _**"Listen closely… do you hear voices coming from further into the tunnel?"**_

"…_Please tell me it's just the wind."_

"_**Over a hundred feet deep underground?"**_

"Oh shit…"

"Whoa there Bernie, did you just curse?!" Caspar exclaimed in disbelief as the girl in question suddenly darted off further into the tunnel. "Wha- hey, wait up!"

Faced with few other options, the Black Eagle students quickly followed after their little runaway recluse, seemingly unaware of the voices she had heard from deeper into the corridor. Shortly after arriving, they were all met with a raised hand from Bernadetta signaling them all to stop as the girl remained idle near the edge of a wall.

A single look into the brightened room ahead would reveal a mysterious group of soldiers, all garbed in professional looking jet black armor with helmets that obscured their eyes. Chief among this group was a large, intimidating figure perched atop a horse in the middle of the room. With a fearsome scythe firmly in hand, a large cape flowing behind his back, and an eerie helmet resembling that of a human skull, the identity of this figure was all too clear to the students spying on this hidden scene.

"Hey, that must be the Death Knight I've been hearing so much about!" Caspar excitedly noted, having already fastened a pair of steel gauntlets to his wrists. "Let's go kick his ass-"

"Caspar, no-" Bernadetta immediately turned to quiet the boy before the soldiers could take notice of him, only to find that he had suddenly passed out against the wall with Linhardt's hand firmly placed on the back of his head.

"How else do you think _I've_ been able to stay asleep for so long?" the crest scholar casually explained. "This is a remarkably potent spell."

With the group's short statured brawler temporarily pacified, the students opted to lean in closer in the hopes of eavesdropping on whatever conversation the Death Knight was having with his subordinates.

"How much longer do you expect us to guard this old broken down tomb?" one of the soldiers loudly complained to the Death Knight's face. "My men haven't seen any action for ages at this point!"

"We shall remain here as long as I deem necessary. The seal on the coffin of Saint Seiros is far more complex than you could possibly imagine." the knight firmly informed, not even bothering to look his underling in the eyes.

"Right, you Fódlan people _actually _believe in all this magical mumbo jumbo." the soldier sneered at his superior's stoic response. "What's keeping us from simply blowing that damn thing open?"

"Need I remind you that your precious orb technology is useless within the borders of Fódlan?" the Death Knight flatly reasoned.

"Gah… it's _orbal _technology, you stuck up bastard…"

"How fascinating… do these soldiers not originate from Fódlan at all?" Linhardt pondered aloud. "And that strange armor of theirs… I've never seen anything quite like it."

"It… kind of reminds me of the Professor's armor for some reason…" Bernadetta muttered, her mind racing with all sorts of possibilities as she continued to spy on the secret operation unfolding before her eyes.

"Bern…" Dorothea peered into the archer's eyes with an expression of deep concern. "What in the world have you gotten yourself into?"

"Honestly, I haven't worked out all the details myself… but you shouldn't have to concern yourself with that... you guys shouldn't have followed me here!"

"If we had knowledge that you were planning to be fighting a fearsome enemy alone, we would still be following you without hesitation. Our hearts would spill with great sadness if something were to happen to you."

"Petra…" Bernadetta started, clearly moved by the Brigid princess's heartfelt declaration. "I'm sorry to have worried all of you, but you just don't understand what's going on."

"You're quite right; we _don't _understand your situation in the slightest." Ferdinand readily agreed with the archer's assessment. "You have gone out of your way to avoid us ever since you left the Black Eagles, and you're always darting off from one place to another like your life depends on it."

"It's abundantly clear that something's changed inside you, but you're still a dear friend to all of us, and we're not about to abandon that friendship under any circumstances." Dorothea heartfully proclaimed as she reached out to place a hand on Bernadetta's shoulder, only for the girl to instinctively recoil away on contact.

At a loss for words, the lilac haired recluse instead opted to continue to listen in on her enemy's conversation.

"Look, I'm just saying- there's no way anyone could possibly find us out down here. You'd have an easier time trying to find fish in a volcano!" one of the soldiers proudly claimed.

"Why don't you trying saying that to our uninvited guests over there?" the Death Knight asked as his head slowly turned in the direction of the students eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Argh, not this again…!" Bernadetta cried out in frustration. With her group's cover blown, a confrontation with the mysterious soldiers before her seemed inevitable. _"Now's probably a good time to-"_

"_**No, we cannot risk the Sword of the Creator falling into the hands of the enemy**_." Sothis quickly cut in before her companion could finish her thoughts. _**"If they have already arrived in the tomb earlier than anticipated, then they may very well claim the blade for themselves long before the Rite of Rebirth begins."**_

"_So we'll have to take them all out here and now. Lovely…"_

"What the- how'd a bunch of kids manage to find their way down here?!" one of the soldiers exclaimed in disbelief.

"Consider this an opportunity for your corps to prove its fearsome reputation to me." the Death Knight boldly commanded.

"What, are you just too lazy to help us?!"

"I don't take commands. Or waste my time on weaklings." the Death Knight stoically proclaimed, still refusing to look his subordinates in the eye. "Surely your extensive training and experience must be enough to outmatch a group of lowly students without the aid of your precious technology."

"Tch. Fine, be that way. Nidhoggr Corps, prepare for battle!" the soldier, presumably the commander of his group, fiercely ordered, prompting every soldier in the room to draw their weapons in anticipation of the upcoming conflict.

"Nidhoggr… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before…" Bernadetta couldn't help but think aloud.

"Alright Caspar, nap time's over." Linhardt shortly stated, rousing the cyan haired warrior from his magically induced slumber with a light smack to the back of his head.

"Oh, what… what did I miss?!" Caspar drowsily asked, his body instantly shifting into a combat pose the moment he regained his bearings. "Hey, did you guys start the fight without me?! I call first blood on the Death Knight!"

"Oh for crying out loud…" Bernadetta grumbled in frustration as the young warrior set out on a one man charge for the enemy. With a simple flick of her wrist, she proceeded to turn back the clock and grab Caspar by the scruff of his collar before he could even think about running off on his own. She had to come up with a plan, and fast. "Okay… our first order of business is to avoid the Death Knight at all costs. None of us stand a chance against him at our current skill levels."

"Seriously?! Are you sure it's such a good idea to just ignore him?"

"He won't bother us if we just leave him alone. Trust me on this." Bernadetta responded to Caspar's protests with a firm nod.

"How do you have such knowledge about this Knight of Death, Bernadetta?" Petra tilted her head in curiosity as she drew her trusted killing edge in preparation of what was to come.

"Th- that's not important right now… Look, if you guys want to have any chance of making it out of here in one piece, I'm gonna need you to follow my every direction. That means no suicidal charges, Caspar."

"Yes, _mom_." Caspar grumbled in reluctant acceptance.

"It's abundantly clear that our foes severely outnumber us…" Ferdinand dutifully noted. "Should we not attempt to retreat and gather more reinforcements?"

"As tempting as that sounds, there's no way we can outrun all these guys up the stairs. No, we'll split into two groups and take up position behind those nearby pillars. We'll make the enemy come to us, not the other way around."

With the first stages of her battle plan laid out, Bernadetta stepped out from behind the wall to find a pair of soldiers armed with fierce sets of triple bladed claws rushing right for her. She promptly fired a pair of crossbow bolts at the approaching foes, only for them to expertly weave around the projectiles without suffering any loss of speed.

Just as the soldiers began to draw near, Caspar and Petra quickly leaped out from behind their impromptu leader to halt the oncoming charge. The mysterious assailants proved to be an even match for the students as they parried each of their attacks blow for blow. Caspar in particular was soon forced to go on the defensive due to the sheer speed of his opponent.

This engagement left the soldiers with little opportunity to retaliate from an arrow to the heel from Bernadetta and a thunderbolt to head courtesy of Dorothea. Once their foes dropped to their knees in pain, Caspar and Petra wasted no time in finishing them off with a crushing blow to the skull and a slash of the latter's blade across her assailant's exposed throat.

"Wait, they're… human?" Bernadetta muttered in surprise as Caspar's victim unceremoniously lost his helmet as a result of the boy's mighty blow. Sure enough, the man's blood ran as red as any other person and his skin refused to turn to the signature pale white color of the Agarthans.

Faced with little time to reflect on this discovery, the group of students immediately set out to take cover behind the two pillars set before them. Though as the one leading the advance, Bernadetta was soon met with a painful surprise in the form of an arrow lodging itself into her right shoulder. Without missing a beat, the girl rewound time to find a pair of soldiers atop a set of stairs further into the room, armed with crossbows that bore an uncanny resemblance to her own weapon of choice.

This time, she was able to return the favor with a preemptive volley of shots that forced her attackers to retreat into cover.

"Well now, this seems to be going surprisingly smoothly so far." Linhardt casually exclaimed once he came to a stop behind the safety of his intended pillar.

"Your vote of confidence is _very _reassuring…" Bernadetta sarcastically agreed with the green haired scholar's remarks. "Whatever you do, don't step out from behind these pillars for too long! Those archers in the back have some deceptively good aim with their crossbows!"

"I won't doubt you there, Bern. I've already seen what you're capable of with that thing." Dorothea nodded in affirmation as the rumbling of armor plated footsteps began to echo through the air around her.

Two pairs of soldiers began to circle around the area in an effort to flank the students from two separate angles. Each pair, consisting of one unit wielding a sizeable greatsword and the other with a long halberd respectively, brazenly stepped over the smaller coffins in their paths in their eagerness to engage in combat with their targeted students.

Together with Linhardt, Bernadetta fired at the oncoming soldiers with a short burst of arrows and a magical blade of wind while Ferdinand readily awaited their arrival with his lance firmly in hand. Thinking quickly, the foe with the greatsword adamantly stepped forth to soak up the oncoming projectiles with the flat end of his weapon, leaving his partner to engage in a fierce clash of polearms with Ferdinand. Realizing that a frontal assault on the swordsman would be all but useless, Bernadetta shifted her aim down to fire a couple of bolts into the man's legs. Linhardt dutifully followed suit, conjuring a shimmering pillar of light from beneath the assailant's feet, but these blows did little to deter their target's progress.

With far greater speed than his bulky weapon would typically indicate, the swordsman lunged at Bernadetta with a mighty downward swing strong enough to create a small crater in the floor upon impact. Having managed to sidestep the attack at the last possible moment, Bernadetta didn't hesitate to activate the hidden blade of her crossbow, plunge it into the side of her attacker's throat, and fire a triad of arrows into the wound at point blank before the unfortunate victim could retaliate.

"Ugh… did you have to make that so excessively messy?" Linhardt instinctively recoiled at the sheer gruesomeness of Bernadetta's method of execution, which wasn't helped by the splatter of blood that had found its way onto the archer's uniform as a result.

"It's better him than us, Linhardt." the girl coldly replied before turning to Ferdinand, who had engaged in a dangerous clash with his foe's formidable hybrid of a weapon, and one that he was dangerously close to losing for that matter. Just as the sharp end of the soldier's halberd began to slide down the shaft of Ferdinand's lance, Bernadetta turned back the clock and fired a single arrow into the adversary's gut, causing him to drop his weapon to the ground in utter shock.

"Your noble assistance is greatly appreciated!" Ferdinand lauded his ally's efforts before seizing his chance to slash his attacker across the chest.

"I believe you may need to work on your dueling skills a bit more…" Linhardt nonchalantly noted, conjuring up his signature healing magic with a weary shake of his head upon noticing a deep cut that had formed on the noble's arm.

"Ah, this is merely a flesh wound…" Ferdinand painfully retorted, having apparently failed to notice the injury on his arm until now.

This small moment of victory was abruptly cut short by a startled gasp from Dorothea, who had been caught by surprise by another claw wielding foe while her accompanying partners were still preoccupied with their own opponents. Before the soldier could land a decisive blow on the disoriented songstress, Bernadetta leaped back in time a few seconds to land a well-placed shot in the back of his neck. The gurgle of pain that followed gave his intended victim enough of a heads up to singe him with a point blank thunderbolt.

"How are you even keeping up with all this, Bern?!" Dorothea questioned, her gaze directed on the archer with an expression of pure bewilderment.

"Honestly, I'm kind of just making this all up as I go al- agh!" Bernadetta's response was cut short as a small dagger suddenly flew from the shadows to land directly in her exposed foot. _"Ow, seriously…? Is this supposed to be karma for faking my injury earlier?!"_

Much to the archer's dismay, yet another claw wielding foe was heading right for her at inhuman speeds, avoiding Dorothea's attempt to fry him with a bolt of lightning with relative ease. Fighting against the searing pain in her foot, Bernadetta extended the blade on her crossbow and prepared to meet her attacker head on, but the speed of the soldier's ensuing strikes proved too much for her to reliably defend against. In a matter of seconds, the assailant fluidly broke through her guard and planted both of his claws directly into Bernadetta's chest, forcing her to rewind time once again to avoid an untimely demise.

This time around, she was able to withdraw her foot just in time to avoid the dagger that had pierced it on her previous attempt. This left her with enough clarity of mind to land a single shot on her assailant the moment he avoided Dorothea's bolt of lightning. The injury did little to deter his approach, but it did dull the soldier's movements enough for Bernadetta to maintain a proper defensive footing against him. All seemed lost when the archer found herself in an impromptu blade lock with her assailant's lethal claws, but she was miraculously saved at the last second when a large arrow flew through the back of her opponent's neck.

A grateful smile spread across Bernadetta's face as she looked up to find Petra staring down at the enemy with a longbow in hand, yet in the soldier's last breaths, he still found enough strength to plunge a dagger into his intended victim's foot before collapsing to the floor.

"Oh, come on!" Bernadetta cried out in annoyance, feeling as frustrated as she was pained by the repeated injury she'd just received.

"Man… these guys are swinging these heavy weapons around like they're made of paper!" Caspar gasped in exhaustion, having finally managed to finish off his respective opponent.

"Indeed. Our enemies are fighting us with great hardness…" Petra agreed with the young warrior's assessment as she took a moment to rest her head against the safety of a pillar.

"We may have lucked out enough to cut down a decent handful of foes, but I fear this may be more than we can conceivably handle."

"Your pessimism isn't helping, Linhardt!" Bernadetta snapped back at the scholar's assessment. "We just have to find a way to move forward from-"

The lilac haired archer's instructions were suddenly cut short by the booming impact of two enemy soldiers crashing against a wall behind her. When she turned around to inspect the commotion, Bernadetta was surprised to find a familiar face staring back with a longbow pointed right at her.

"Heh, I thought we might find you down here!"

"C- Claude?! How did you-"

"We can talk later; just get out of the way!" the Golden Deer leader loudly warned shortly before releasing a single arrow from his bow. It didn't take much convincing for Bernadetta to comply and narrowly duck under the arrow sailing in her direction. Moments later, a pained scream from further into the room confirmed that Claude had managed to take out one of the hostile archers plaguing the Black Eagle students.

"Come on down, everyone, we've got some rats to clean up over here!" Claude signaled with a wave his hand, prompting the remainder of the Golden Deer house to flood into the room one after another.

"Ah, rejoice! It seems the cavalry has finally arrived!" Ferdinand jovially announced with a welcoming fist pump into the air.

"Oh no…" Bernadetta's jaw slightly dropped in realization as her classmates all came into view. "If the rest of the class is here, then the Professor must be-"

"Right behind you."

Predictably, Bernadetta let out a startled scream before turning around to find Byleth looking down on her with an unreadable expression across his face. "Uh… hi there, Professor."

"So tell me, how is your foot treating you right now?"

"Oh, that? It's, er… kind of gotten worse lately." Bernadetta sheepishly answered as she glanced over to the limb in question, which still had a dagger casually protruding out of it.

"So I see." Byleth slowly perched a hand on his runaway student's shoulder, eliciting a quiet yelp of surprise from the frightened girl. "You're going to have a lot to explain, but we'd best save it for after we've routed the enemy."

"Yeah… yeah, of course…" Bernadetta nervously muttered as her professor nonchalantly drew his blade in preparation of the coming conflict.

"Do you have enough of a reason to help us now?!" the commander of the unknown soldiers furiously questioned the Death Knight, who continued to remain idle in the center of the room, only slightly shifting his gaze to Byleth in a mild expression of interest.

"It was your own incompetence that led to this result." the Death Knight coldly shut down his subordinate's request for assistance. "Hired blades such as you are easily replaceable; whether you live or die is of little consequence to me."

"Grr… you stuck up bastard…"

"You may be able to redeem yourselves if you can hold off those children for just a while longer." the dark mage in the back of the room patiently informed. "The seal on Saint Seiros's coffin will be broken any minute now…"

"_**I trust there should be no need for me to repeat what you just heard?"**_

"_Yeah, not good… we've gotta get over there quickly." _Bernadetta readily agreed with the Goddess's warnings as she loaded another round of arrows into her crossbow.

"Hey, uh, before we get started, I should probably warn you guys not to go near that evil looking knight, okay?"

"Hmph, he doesn't look so threatening, Claude." Lysithea brushed off her house leader's warnings with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"You'd do well not to underestimate our enemies, Lysithea." Byleth sternly reminded the youthful mage. "You are not to engage in combat with that knight unless the situation absolutely calls for it."

"I understand, Professor…"

"Good. Now let's begin the operation!" Byleth announced with a dramatic swing of his free arm, signaling the present ranks of the Golden Deer and Black Eagles to engage the remaining enemy soldiers.

As the battle reignited around her, Bernadetta took to the far edges of the room to circle around the skirmishes breaking out near the middle. With the majority of melee fighters being forced to take center stage and the enemy's commander engaged in a fierce duel with her professor, Bernadetta was left with only a single hostile archer blocking her path.

Making sure to swing behind another pillar to avoid the ensuing volley of arrows coming her way, the violet haired student quickly returned the favor with a single shot to the knee. The sound of rapid footsteps coming from behind signaled the approach of another claw user, but this unknowing soul was quickly dispatched with a single precise shot to the back of the head, courtesy of Claude.

After briefly turning around to give her house leader a short thumbs-up in gratitude, Bernadetta refocused her efforts on the archer barring her path to Saint Seiros's coffin. With her foe left idling behind a pillar to accommodate his injury, the girl was entirely free to close the distance without fear of getting shot at. The moment she drew close, however, the hostile archer activated a hidden blade on his crossbow similar to Bernadetta's own, and lashed out in a desperate effort to catch the girl by surprise.

The girl naturally responded with the same tactic, and after a relatively short lived clash of blades, broke away to finish the soldier off with a single arrow to the forehead. She had finally managed to make her way to the very back of the room, but the sound of a loud click from the direction of Seiros's coffin was a sure sign that she didn't have much time on her side.

"At last! The seal is broken!" the dark mage standing before the coffin cried out in celebration as he proceeded to push over the stone lid covering the casket.

"Oh no, you are not getting your hands on that!" Bernadetta cried out as she fired off a single arrow towards the dark mage, who managed to nonchalantly duck underneath the projectile in the process of reaching his body into the coffin.

"You're far too late! The remains of Seiros shall be… what? A sword?!" the mage exclaimed in surprise as he awkwardly pulled the Sword of the Creator out of the coffin.

"Now this is quite a pleasant surprise…" the Death Knight quietly commented, a slight tone of excitement slipping into his voice as he turned to fix his gaze upon the ancient blade.

Instinctively, Bernadetta readied herself to fire another arrow at the mage… only to gasp in surprise upon hearing a telltale click when she attempted to pull the trigger of her weapon; the girl had finally run out of arrows.

"_No, no, no, why now?!"_ the girl internally panicked as she quickly realized the severity of the situation. With Byleth still preoccupied in his duel with the enemy's secondary commander, Bernadetta was left with few other options but to rush at the mage herself. The mage naturally shot a retaliatory fireball at the approaching girl upon hearing her loud footsteps, but Bernadetta easily weaved around the spell and thrust the blade of her crossbow into her target's heart before he could make another move.

As the dark mage's body collapsed to the ground, Bernadetta instinctively snatched the Sword of the Creator out his loosened grip, whereupon it unexpectedly began to emit a blinding orange glow in her hands.

"_Whoa… wait a sec, I can't be seen using this…!"_ Bernadetta mentally slapped herself for her momentary lapse in judgment as her eyes hastily scanned the room in search of the blade's proper owner. "Uh, Professor, catch!" she suddenly warned before tossing the blade through the air with all her might.

As luck would have it, Byleth had already managed to gain the upper hand on his opponent at this point, leaving the professor with enough awareness to nonchalantly snatch the Sword of the Creator out of the air and use it to deal a finishing blow to the hostile commander. The sight of the blade back in the hands of its intended master brought a faintly nostalgic smile to Bernadetta's lips.

Although that smile quickly faded when she heard the fearsome galloping of the Death Knight's steed rapidly approaching her shortly afterward.

"You are a fool to discard of such a powerful weapon so carelessly!" the dark clad knight fiercely reprimanded as he swung his signature scythe at Bernadetta in a wide arc, prompting a terrified scream from the girl as she barely managed to dive away from the attack in time.

"_Wh- what is the Death Knight attacking me for?! He… didn't see me with the sword, did he…?" _the archer frantically thought to herself as she proceeded to dash away from the imposing knight as fast as her legs could possibly carry her. Along the way, she came across a single abandoned arrow protruding from the floor. In an act of desperation, she quickly loaded the projectile into her crossbow and fired it at the Death Knight's helmet in a vain effort to slow him in his tracks.

The attack certainly hit its mark, but the Death Knight was clearly undeterred by the blow as he retaliated with a black bolt of lightning that suddenly materialized above Bernadetta's head. The spell directly struck the archer faster than she could flee, dropping the girl to her knees with an agonizing scream of pain. Too overwhelmed by the fear and pain that overtook her body, Bernadetta found herself paralyzed to the spot as she awaited what would surely be a fatal blow from the Death Knight's malicious scythe.

…But the fatal moment never came, and she instead felt a terrifyingly familiar splatter of blood across her back. With deeply bated breath, Bernadetta slowly turned around to find Byleth protectively standing behind her, complete the Death Knight's scythe fully impaled through the professor's chest.

"No… no…. please don't do this to me…" Bernadetta's eyes began to water the instant she bore witness to this sight of the fatally wounded Byleth. "Not again… please, don't to this to me again!" she tearfully begged in a tone of pure anguish, completely deaf to the urgent warnings of the Goddess sounding off within her head. The pain surging through her own body no longer seemed to affect her, and the girl's mind had gone totally blank.

All she could focus on was the dreadful memory of that fateful battle in the middle of an empty, barren field. Even when the flow of time suddenly leaped back to undo her future lover's fatal injury, Bernadetta simply remained rooted in place. Her body was uncontrollably quivering in despair and her breath had gone uncomfortably ragged as the Death Knight mounted another malicious charge right for her.

As confused as he was by his timid student's dramatic reaction to his injury, Byleth had to devise a solution right away. Tightening his grip on his old, trusty mercenary's blade, he hurled the weapon at the Death Knight like a javelin, which successfully managed to imbed itself into his target's shoulder. Knowing this likely wouldn't be enough to stop him, Byleth turned to Lysithea with an urgent shout, to which the young mage responded by conjuring a massive array of dark spears all around her.

With a mere snap of her finger, Lysithea sent the barrage of spears barreling towards the Death Knight at speeds faster than the naked eye could conceive. Though the knight managed to swat away at a small handful of the spears with his scythe, he still found himself turning into a vaguely human pincushion as the magical projectiles pierced his body from a multitude of different angles.

"Ugh… impressive… I never expected to encounter such formidable resistance…" the Death Knight remarked, weakly slumped over across the top of his steed. With a weary snap of his fingers, he promptly vanished in a flash of crimson light before anyone could land another blow on him.

Now that the greatest threat in the tomb was finally forced to retreat, Byleth worriedly hurried over to Bernadetta to check on her condition. Even with the threat to her life gone, the girl's body was still shivering uncontrollably as the professor placed a hand over her shoulder in concern.

"Bernadetta…what happened-" Byleth asked, only for his inquiry to be cut short with a forceful hug from the violet haired recluse quivering before him.

"Tell me you're okay…" Bernadetta squeaked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry; I… didn't quite hear that." Byleth awkwardly admitted, unsure what to think of the girl's mental state.

"Just tell me you're okay…" Bernadetta repeated in a slightly louder tone.

"You… want me to tell you I'm okay?"

"JUST TELL ME YOU'RE OKAY, BY!" Bernadetta tearfully begged one more time, her voice having erupted into an intense, demanding shout that could undoubtedly be heard all across the tomb. She couldn't find it within herself to care as the many concerned stares of her fellow students began to fall upon her. All she wanted to do was lose herself in the arms of the man she loved and forget all about the cruel world around her.


	15. Chapter 14: Troubled Heart

Just how long had Bernadetta been clinging onto her dear professor for? Minutes? Hours? A few measly seconds, perhaps? The passage of time was little more than an unintelligible blur to the distraught young girl as she desperately struggled to push the primal vision of her future lover's mortally wounded body out of her mind. Amongst the alarmed looks of the myriad of concerned students surrounding the pair, all Byleth could do was awkwardly return his tormented student's fearful embrace in a weak effort to calm her racing nerves.

Then, in an instant, Bernadetta's eyes shot open as her professor's body abruptly vanished from her grasp. Without an almost literal pillar of emotional support to lean on, the girl found herself unceremoniously falling to the floor face first. Upon regaining her bearings, she quickly realized that she was kneeling in the depths of a familiar dark void as a pair of tiny feet approached her, emanating an unmistakable aura of disappointment.

"You don't have to tell me… Bernie's screwed the pooch once again…!" the young archer instinctively flinched, expecting the hand of the Goddess to strike her across the face at any moment.

"_**You've lost control of yourself again."**_ Sothis calmly informed, her unblinking green eyes peering into Bernadetta's as she instead extended her hand in a kind offer to help the girl back on her feet.

"Of course I did! What did you expect?!" Bernadetta fiercely snapped, refusing the Goddess's assistance with a dismissive wave of her hand as she shakily stood herself up. "None of this was-"

"_**I expect you to pull yourself together and continue moving forward."**_ Sothis sharply cut in before her violet haired compatriot could get another word in. _**"It's taking all the power I have to speak with you in private like this. We have very little time to speak at the moment."**_ the tiny Goddess informed, bringing forth a faint window into the realm of reality with a simple flick of her hand.

Within, Bernadetta saw herself still tearfully clinging to her professor inside the Holy Mausoleum, a sight akin to a snapshot of a single moment in time. A heavy sigh of ease escaped the girl's breath as she was finally able to confirm that Byleth was truly alive and well.

"I really don't know what came over me."

"_**We can concern ourselves with that another time. For now, I'm about to turn back the clock one last time. Try to ensure that you will not need me to do this again, for we've all but exhausted the final remains of my power for the day." **_

Without another line of protest, Bernadetta drifted back through the flow of time to the frightful conclusion of her near fatal encounter with the Death Knight. As the threat to her life was forced to retreat from the battlefield, the violet haired girl hastily dusted herself off in a last ditch effort to make herself appear more natural.

Though he was clearly disoriented by the sudden leap in time, it didn't take long for Byleth to rush over to his ward's side, now more worried than ever.

"_Oh crap, here he comes… just try to play dumb, Bernie. Pretend nothing happened."_

"Bernadetta…"Byleth started, his expression quickly forming into one of both deep unease and lurking suspicion. "I know I promised not to pry into your past, but you have to tell me-"

"Who's Bernadetta?" the girl in question blurted out with an innocent looking smile. _"Agh, not that dumb!"_ she mentally slapped herself as her professor tilted his head in abject confusion from her response.

"What I meant to say is, er…"

"Oh Bern, thank goodness you're alright!" Dorothea's voice cut into the conversation like a hot knife through butter.

"Whatever happened to not charging ahead, huh?!" Caspar loudly questioned, eyeing down his former classmate with a look of deep concern.

"I must say, that was exceedingly reckless of you. Not even Caspar has been willing to go so far with his fabled heroics." Linhardt readily agreed with his best friend's assertions.

"Th- that's not important, alright?" Bernadetta found herself shriveling up under the concerned gazes of her old classmates. "Everything managed to turn out okay, and that's all that matters. And if didn't do what I did, the enemy would have gotten away with that sword from Seiros's coffin scot-free!" she shakily pointed over to the glowing blade in her professor's hand.

"I am not understanding how that would have mattered if you had been killed in the process." Petra shook her head in disapproval of the archer's dangerous gambit. "If the Professor was not there to be saving you, we would not even be speaking right now." she continued, causing Bernadetta to direct her gaze down to the floor in guilt.

"Might I ask what motivated all of you to follow your old classmate down here?" Byleth suddenly asked, staring down at the collected Black Eagles before him with an unreadable expression. "I'm sure you must have been aware of the potential dangers involved, right?"

"I'll admit, we were not expecting to find our way into the Holy Mausoleum as a result of all this, but we were simply acting out of concern for our friend here." Ferdinand calmly informed. "We may have had to act without Edelgard's knowledge, yet that is only a small price to pay to ensure the safety of our dear friend."

"That's quite a noble sentiment." Byleth gave a short nod of approval in response to the Black Eagle's initiative.

"So… what's gonna happen to us now?"

"That remains to be seen, Caspar… I can't make any promises, but I will try to-" Byleth cut himself short as he noticed the distinct absence of the violet haired recluse that lead everybody into this situation. A simple glance in the direction of the entrance to the Holy Mausoleum would reveal Bernadetta attempting to skulk away from the conversation unnoticed.

With a single eyebrow raised in amusement, the professor promptly turned back the clock with a casual wave of his hand. The next thing she knew, Bernadetta found herself standing amongst her old Black Eagle classmates once again, sporting an understandably confused look on her face.

"What the…?"

"Well now, that certainly confirms a few of my suspicions…" Byleth audibly contemplated, prompting a fearful gulp of realization from his time-traveling student.

"C- can I be excused now…?" the lavender haired archer timidly asked, knowing full well that her startled reaction tipped the professor off to her newfound temporal awareness.

"Why yes, yes you can." Byleth quickly stated, much to Bernadetta's surprise. "You're still shaking… you've clearly been through a lot today. I want you to get all the rest you can."

"Sure, if you say so… I'm not about to turn down an order to go to my room!" Bernadetta hastily agreed, actively avoiding eye contact with the professor as she made another move to escape from the conversation. Although her retreat was quickly stopped in its tracks when Byleth placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"Report to my office later tonight; we have a lot to discuss."

Feeling a deep shiver down her spine, Bernadetta simply nodded in silence before taking her leave with her head hanging down in dread. Fully exhausted from the day's events, she failed to notice a discarded greatsword lying in her path, which promptly caused the girl to trip over herself and collapse to the floor with an inelegant thud.

"Whoa there, are you holding up alright, Bernie?" Claude asked as he and Lysithea swiftly rushed over to help the lilac haired recluse back to her feet.

"Heh… I guess the adrenaline must have worn off by now…" Bernadetta lightly chuckled as her gaze was slowly drawn to the only passage out of the Holy Mausoleum. "I just realized I'm gonna have to climb all those stairs like this…"

"You really shouldn't push yourself so hard." Lysithea quietly reprimanded the young archer with a disapproving shake of her head.

"That won't be a problem. Hey, Raph!" Claude loudly beckoned over to his enormous blonde classmate. "Be a gentleman and help ferry our fair lady back home!"

"H- hold on, you really don't have to- WAAAGH!" Bernadetta's words of protest fell on deaf ears as Raphael promptly scooped her right off her feet.

"Don't you worry Bernadetta; I'll get you back to your room before you know it!" Raphael heartily claimed.

Seeing as how the gentle giant had already managed to make his way to the bottom of the stairwell in record time, Bernadetta simply let out a dismayed sigh and resigned herself to her fate. The sooner she could return to her personal sanctuary, the sooner she could feel even remotely comfortable in her own body.

* * *

The passage of time seemed to slow to an agonizing halt as Bernadetta motionlessly waited for night to fall upon her. All she could do until that point was blankly stare up at her room's ceiling, internally dreading the grueling interrogation that was surely waiting for her. Her mind wracked with a myriad of adverse thoughts, the girl could hardly muster up the will to do anything but linger in bed in a fruitless effort to keep the growing pains in her head at bay.

Even the voice of Sothis was nowhere to keep her company throughout the entire wait; the Goddess had presumably entered a deep slumber to recover the use of her temporal powers.

Any knocks on her door or words of concern from the outside were met with an almost uncaring silence from the recluse inside. No matter how loud or urgent these cries would become, Bernadetta merely refused to acknowledge them until whoever wished to contact her ultimately relented. The overturned dresser blocking the doorway and the nails holding her window shut ensured that nobody else could force their way inside either.

When night finally came, Bernadetta hardly felt any better than she did when she returned to her room, but the girl knew she could not keep Byleth waiting for too long. With a brief sigh of acceptance, she struggled to push away the dresser barring her only way out before setting foot into the cool night air outside. Shivering, the purple haired student raised her signature hood in a small effort to minimize her presence.

The path leading up to Byleth's office was a fair distance away from the more familiar setting of the professor's dorm room. Luckily, the emptiness of the monastery grounds at this late hour left Bernadetta with no unexpected obstacles as she slowly made her way to her destination. When the girl finally arrived just outside the room in question, she found herself hesitating to knock on the door to announce her arrival.

"Please, come inside. The door's unlocked." Byleth suddenly spoke up, having managed to pick up on his student's presence before she could even make a single sound. With an audible gulp, Bernadetta forced her eyes shut as she reluctantly opened the door for herself.

"Okay, let's get this over with… you're going to punish me, aren't you?" Bernadetta hastily asked, her gaze fearfully shooting off to the side. "For what it's worth, I'll willingly accept anything you have to-"

The girl's frantic rant was cut short by the familiar sound of a small metal plate clanking on Byleth's desk ahead of her. Compelled by curiosity, Bernadetta was surprised to find a fresh slice of shortcake waiting for her atop an ornate silver platter.

"I'm aware you haven't eaten anything since this morning, so feel free to have as much as you'd like."

"You could tell…?" Bernadetta's eyes widened in surprise. "I er, appreciate the offer, but it's really not that bad-" the girl attempted to refuse, but the loud rumble that subsequently erupted from her stomach told a different tale. "…Okay, maybe just a little."

Reasoning that it would be rude to turn down such a generous offer, Bernadetta awkwardly took up a seat in front of the professor's desk. Wordlessly, Byleth proceeded to pour a cup of tea for his guest as the purple haired recluse took her first bites of the scrumptious shortcake before her. The sweet scent that filled Bernadetta's nose in the following moments was all too recognizable.

"You made my favorite… you're too good to me." Bernadetta's eyes flew shut in a desperate effort to hide the tears welling up from within. _"You were always too good to me, By…"_ she quietly added in a voice barely above a whisper.

"This is hardly any trouble for me. I'm always happy to lend a helping hand to those I care about in their times of need." Byleth calmly stated, his hands neatly folded together as he motionlessly continued to watch over the downtrodden girl in front of him.

Having found herself at a loss for words, Bernadetta took a large bite out of her shortcake to steady her racing nerves before reluctantly breaking her silence with a single heavy handed question. "I see… you had to report to Lady Rhea after the events at the tomb, right? Wh- what did she have to say about the things I did down there?"

"Nothing at all, actually. I simply twisted the truth and told her that I was the one to sneak off into the tomb by myself." Byleth calmly explained, easily maintaining the static expression on his face as Bernadetta let out a loud gasp in surprise.

"But why would you do that?! I'm sure Seteth must have been furious with you when he thought you were trespassing on holy ground…"

"I won't deny that much. My father certainly had his own fair share of harsh words for me when he joined in on the conversation. Breaching the trust of the church, shirking my responsibilities, endangering the lives of both myself and my students…"

"I'm so sorry…" Bernadetta held a hand up to her heart in guilt. "I should have taken the blame for this myself-"

"If it had been you, I can guarantee you would have been expelled on the spot." Byleth sharply interrupted the girl's regretful musings. "A simple tongue lashing is a small price to pay to ensure the continued well-being of my students. To that end, I've made sure to keep the involvement of the other Black Eagles a secret as well."

"You shouldn't have to keep looking out for me when it's just going to get you hurt… not when it really was my fault in the first place!"

"This is hardly the first time I've been scolded by my father in such a manner." Byleth claimed, eliciting a rapid blink of surprise from Bernadetta.

"Really? That's honestly kind of hard to imagine."

"I'm far from the paragon of perfection you seem to view me as. My mercenary days were full of all sorts of setbacks and pitfalls before I became known as the Ashen Demon." Byleth explained, his gaze slowly shifting to the night sky outside in recollection. "I had to learn the art of combat from scratch, just like all of you. I was certainly a fast learner, thanks in no small part to the other, more experienced mercenaries traveling alongside my father and me throughout the years. They all came from many different walks of life, but that hardly made their wealth of knowledge any less invaluable."

"I guess we all have to start from somewhere, huh?"

"Indeed, and we all inevitably make mistakes along the way as well. I'm hardly any different in that regard… my own incompetence has led to the deaths of several people I held dear to me."

The revelation sent a shock surging through Bernadetta's body. This was a tale she had never heard before, though, in hindsight, she realized that she had never truly delved into the professor's past either. Casting aside the accounts of Rhea and the lost journal of Captain Jeralt she was familiar with, the details Byleth's life before the monastery were an enigma to her.

"I never knew how to express it, but the loss of their lives still weighs on my soul to this day. I vividly remember the names and faces of every last one of them… I often wonder how everything could have changed if I could go back to save them with the knowledge and abilities I have today, but that's not something I can afford to linger on." Byleth let out a deep sigh of resignation before turning to Bernadetta. "The results may not be readily apparent, but I can somehow feel that your actions in the Holy Mausoleum will allow us to save many innocent lives in the future. I can hardly begin to describe how overjoyed Lady Rhea was to find this blade… this Sword of the Creator in my possession."

Bernadetta opened her mouth to speak the moment she witnessed her professor unveil the glowing orange blade in his hand, though her attention was instead diverted to the sleeve of the signature overcoat hanging from Byleth's left arm.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, it's just…" Bernadetta nervously muttered, unable to point out the large tear that had formed on the professor's sleeve. Rather, she clumsily raised the left arm of her own uniform in the hopes of getting Byleth to notice the blemish on his outfit.

"Hm, I must have taken a grazing blow from that enemy commander earlier."

"I could mend that for you if you'd like. It's the least I could do to return the favor."

"Ah yes, I've heard much praise regarding your sewing skills throughout the monastery. Is it a particularly enjoyable pastime of yours?"

"It's really just a little distraction for me to work on from time to time… I'm told I come across as awkward sometimes, but if nothing else, I'm good with my hands." Bernadetta sheepishly admitted, though her cheeks began to flush the moment she realized the implications of her latest comment.

"That's good to know. I'll leave this in your capable-" Byleth's head perked up in curiosity before he could finish his sentence. "Are you feeling all right? You're really sweating. I hope you haven't been lying in bed all day in that condition-"

"No, I'm totally fine! I swear I'm not thinking any impure thoughts right now!" Bernadetta frantically attempted to explain herself away. In a panic, she raised her still steaming teacup to her lips, only to recoil in pain the moment the liquid entered her mouth, nearly spilling the drink in the process. "Gah, still too hot!"

"Careful now. Why don't I get you another slice of cake while you wait for your tea to cool down?" Byleth generously offered, receiving a slow nod of acceptance in response.

"…Why are you being so kind to me? I've been deceiving you for quite a while now, and you were almost killed because of me…"

"I could already tell something was up with you ever since you suddenly ran up to hug me in the middle of the hall when I first arrived at the academy.

"Y- you remembered that?!"

"It would be hard _not _to if a random stranger threw herself into your arms while you were going about your business."

"So every time I've turned back the clock…" Bernadetta instinctively cringed in realization.

"You've certainly kept me up at night on several occasions with your constant rewinds, though it did serve as a clear sign that you've gotten yourself in trouble earlier today. I've been meaning to hold off on this discussion until I knew you'd be comfortable with it, but after I bore witness to your mortified reaction to my injuries…"

"Heh… I'm sorry you have to keep putting up with so much of my nonsense after all this time." Bernadetta meekly apologized with a short bow of her head. "Hypothetically speaking… do you think you'd be better off without me?"

"I wouldn't even dream of something like that." Byleth sharply refuted the girl's self-destructive question. "You're a stronger individual than you give yourself credit for. I've heard many a tale of how deeply reclusive you used to be before you transferred to the Golden Deer, yet the girl sitting before me now is about as different from those preconceptions as night and day."

"You're giving me too much credit. It feels like I'm still the same frightened child everyone knew me as on the inside, even after everything I've been through."

"…Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality." Byleth firmly claimed after a few moments of tense silence, eliciting a surprised gasp from his self-loathing student in response. "Just a few choice words of inspiration from an old adventure novel I read a long time ago."

"Er, yeah, I still recall that line like the back of my hand. That was my favorite story from when I was a child." Bernadetta admitted, her eyes slightly widening in surprise as she fondly looked back on one of the few positive notes of her childhood.

"That's quite a fascinating coincidence... you remind me so much of the main protagonist of that story."

"I don't think there's much room for comparison between us…" Bernadetta lightly chuckled to herself. "Not while I still haven't let go of my cowardice."

"Would a coward constantly risk her life for what she believes in?" Byleth actively challenged the girl's refutal. "Your anxiety hasn't stopped you from coming to meet me tonight, much less sneaking off into a secret underground tomb all by yourself. "

"That doesn't mean I wasn't scared witless the entire time… I've just gotten better at hiding those feelings."

"Yet you still proved strong enough to carry on in spite of those fears." Byleth coolly pointed out. "I'll admit; I have very little knowledge of your life before the monastery. Perhaps you _were _someone who was too quick to beg for mercy or run away at the first sign of another's anger, but you've clearly undergone great strides to better yourself as a person since then."

"Professor..." Bernadetta clutched her heart, visibly struggling to prevent a stream of tears from welling up in her eyes. Too touched by the kind words of her beloved professor to restrain herself, the girl boldly reached out across the desk to grasp Byleth's hand in hers. "Thank you so much… you always know just what to say to ease my worries."

"It's rather strange, really…" Byleth let out a short breath in amusement. "I've been feeling this odd connection to you ever since the moment we first met... I don't know how to explain it."

"You have…? Please, go on."

"I've been seeing these bizarre visions in my head as well, around the time I first became aware of my temporal abilities. Everything about them feels so blurry… so chaotically distorted that I can only make out faint bits and pieces of what's going on… but there has always been one distinct image I could see clearly above all the rest."

"And that is…?" Bernadetta asked with bated breath.

"It's the visage of a radiant young woman peering directly into my eyes… one who looks a lot like you, actually."

Bernadetta let out another surprised gasp upon hearing her professor's answer. It didn't take much thinking to deduce the identity of the mysterious woman appearing in Byleth's dreams.

"In fact, I've recalled enough details from these visions to draw a portrait of that woman in recent days. Please, give me a moment while I search for it." Byleth requested, freeing his hand from his student's grasp as he proceeded to rummage through a pile of overturned papers he'd left to the side of his desk.

It didn't take long for Bernadetta's suspicions to be confirmed when a handcrafted portrait of her future self was uncovered before her very eyes… or at least, a crudely drawn portrait of her future self.

The quality of the drawing was rather dubious, to say the least. The corners of her jaw were crooked, her silver eyes were completely mismatched, the tuft of hair falling behind the back of her neck was nowhere to be found, and she didn't even have a nose for some reason.

"I'm painfully aware that my artistic skills aren't up to par-"

"Wha- no, no, no, this is actually pretty great! Amazing, even!" Bernadetta lied through her teeth. "It looks just like the real deal! I think she looks even better without a nose!"

"Really now?" Byleth's eyebrows rose, his interest fully piqued as the lilac haired girl before him took hold of his hand once again. "I don't suppose you're related to this woman in any way?"

"I guess you could say that…" Bernadetta awkwardly laughed as she motioned for her professor to rise out of his seat. "What if… would you believe me if I told you the woman in your visions was me? Future me, that is. Five to seven years from now, give or take."

"Well now…" Byleth let out a short huff in response. "That's not actually the most unbelievable thing I've heard since I arrived at this academy. Although…" the professor sported a mildly befuddled expression as he stretched out his hand above the self-proclaimed time traveler's head. "Aren't you 17 right now?"

"I still have a lot of room to grow!" Bernadetta sheepishly retorted with a nervous laugh. "You're taking this more easily than I would have expected…"

"My apologies. Was I supposed to do anything differently? I'm afraid I don't have the full context of the situation here."

"I know, I know…" Bernadetta sighed in exasperation as she took hold of her professor's other hand. "It's a really long story… but do you think we could just stay like this for a while? I forgot how warm your hands felt after all this time…" she slowly leaned forward with the intent of nuzzling her head into face into Byleth's chest… only for her plans to be abruptly foiled by a blinding flash of emerald light emerging from between the pair.

Forced to shield their eyes from the intensity of the sudden burst of energy, the two of them were met with an astonishing sight upon regaining their bearings. Two identical copies of Sothis were standing beside their respective companions, both rubbing their eyes with abject exhaustion as if they had awoken from a simultaneous nap.

"Ugh… what is the meaning of this?! Do you not know how rude it is to interrupt a lady's-" the future Sothis loudly yawned, only to fall into stunned silence when she inevitably laid eyes on her own mirror image.

"Is this somebody's idea of a practical joke? What am I even looking at right now?!" the other Sothis noisily clamored, feeling just as confused as her counterpart.

"Whoa… I did not see that coming." Bernadetta muttered in amazement as her gaze swung back and forth between the two Goddesses. It was an utterly surreal sight to be sure, but the girl was left with little time to ponder the situation when the door to Byleth's office suddenly flew open behind her.

"Alright Kid, we've got a few things to talk about-" the voice of Captain Jeralt abruptly announced as the esteemed knight barged into the room unannounced, only for his words to fall silent the moment he caught wind of the peculiar scene unfolding before his eyes. "…Those two kids aren't yours, are they?"

Bernadetta's first instinct was to scream in embarrassment, but her own voice seemed to fail her as a familiar flash of colors sent her barreling back in time to a point where she was still seated in front of Byleth's desk.

"Perhaps we should continue this discussion another time… away from any potential witnesses." the professor calmly offered, his eyes widened with just as much astonishment as Bernadetta's.

"Yeah… I think that's for the best. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me tonight. It really did a lot to ease my worries…" Bernadetta graciously bowed as she hastily shoveled the remains of her shortcake into her mouth and darted out the door in the blink of an eye. Seconds later, the girl found herself desperately rushing back into the office with one last request. "Wait, I still need to fix your coat! Just hand it to me and I'll have it back to you by tomorrow morning!"

Wordlessly, Byleth gave a simple nod as he slipped off the article of clothing and casually tossed it into the girl's anxious hands without a second thought. In an act of sheer audacity, Bernadetta swiftly lunged forward to plant a single brief kiss on Byleth's lips before bolting out the door once again, her cheeks burning hotter than an active volcano.

"Hey now, what are you doing with my kid's coat?" the voice of Jeralt suddenly called out the moment Bernadetta forcefully slammed the door behind her.

"Agh, stay back, whoever you are!" Bernadetta instinctively yelped in fear as she raised the professor's coat to her face to act as a makeshift shield.

"Hm, I see... he still hasn't gotten that sleeve fixed, huh?" Jeralt nonchalantly noted, seemingly unfazed by the girl's panicked outburst.

"Y- yeah… yeah, that's it." Bernadetta let out a deep breath to calm her nerves, having instantly recognized the source of the voice calling her. "I promised I'd get this patched up for him by tomorrow."

"Your professor was never the greatest at taking care of himself, you know…" Jeralt offhandedly explained as he approached the timid girl with a faint, yet wistfully nostalgic smile across his face. "It's nice to know he's got some good kids to look out for him."

"I've certainly seen that for myself a fair share of times. I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on him from now on. You have my word." Bernadetta confidently claimed before realizing that she was still blocking the door to Byleth's office. "Uh, the Professor will see you now." she hastily waved goodbye to the captain as she hurriedly scurried off in the opposite direction, feeling more resolved than ever.

"Heh. What a curious girl. At least my kid's managed to find some worthwhile company for himself after all these years."

* * *

**As a good number of readers have undoubtedly picked up on, the references to the Legend of Heroes/Kiseki series have grown more apparent in the last chapter, and the connections are certainly going to grow stronger as the story progresses. I will make it clear that this is not a crossover, though, at least in the sense that the entirety of the plot will remain confined within Fódlan, and that no named characters from the series will make any direct appearances. For now, I'll simply maintain my current course as it is, though one can never predict how your plans may change in the future...  
**

**In any case, I hope you all continue to enjoy this little adventure with me. Peace out, everyone.**


	16. Chapter 15: Reminder from the Past

"Um, Professor…" Bernadetta nervously asked, her eyes rapidly darting back and forth from the parchment in her hands with abject worry. "There has to be some mistake here…!"

"I know what I'm doing, Bernadetta." Byleth calmly stated, totally unfazed by the girl's objections as he continued to hand out updated training regimens to the remaining members of the class. "A few weeks' worth of dedicated sword training will do wonders to make up for your deficiencies at close range."

"D- don't you think I should just keep focusing on what I'm good at instead? You know how bad I am at swordplay!" Bernadetta loudly protested. "Besides, I already have ways of avoiding close combat altogether! That's what archers are for in the first place!"

"Take it from me, Bernie; your arrows won't exactly last forever on the battlefield." Claude readily chimed in. "You'll be as good as dead if you can't protect yourself from a foe that can actually see your shots coming."

"I don't see the point of any of this, Professor." Lysithea hastily argued, taking a moment to grimace at her own list of goals before continuing. "What good will it do for me to run laps around the monastery when I can spend that time strengthening my magic instead?"

"I'd like to second that notion!" Hilda was especially eager to agree with the young mage's protests. "Although if you want to train _anyone_ in magic, I wouldn't say no to a chance to stay behind the frontlines…"

"I assure you, I have my reasons for all of this." Byleth coolly affirmed as he made his way back to the front of the classroom. "Bernadetta, are you still carrying your crossbow with you?"

"Oh, er… yes? How did you even know…?" Bernadetta meekly asked, clearly taken aback by the professor's sudden inquiry.

"I'd like to assume that bulge sticking out of your bag isn't something else." Byleth nonchalantly observed, much to his student's visible embarrassment. "In which case, I'd like you to attempt to stab me with it."

"Wh- what?! In the middle of the class?! Why would even ask something like that?! Bernadetta nearly fumbled out of her seat as she immediately objected to the professor's request. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"I trust you. I can only ask you can do the same for me." the professor nonchalantly replied, returning his student's panicked gaze with a peaceful look that seemed to ease her worries away in a matter of seconds. "Simply come at me as if you intend to kill, and I'll handle the rest."

"O- okay, then… if you insist…" Bernadetta nervously relented as she reached into her bag to retrieve her personal weapon. Under the watchful eyes of her surrounding classmates, the young archer struggled to repress an instinctive shudder while she activated the blade of her weapon. With a single nod of encouragement from her professor, Bernadetta forced her eyes shut and leaped from her seat with as much speed as she could muster.

The next thing she knew, a loud clang reverberated throughout the room as her crossbow violently flew out of her hand and uselessly clattered to the floor below. When she opened her eyes once more, Bernadetta was surprised to find Byleth brandishing a simple training sword in his outstretched hand.

"If this were a real battle, you would probably be dead right now."

"I wasn't expecting you to keep a spare sword on you…" Bernadetta meekly admitted as she scurried off to retrieve her discarded weapon from the floor.

"That's why you should always prepare yourself for the unexpected." Byleth lightly reprimanded. "I can applaud you for having the foresight to carry a concealed weapon with you at all times. However, while that short blade of yours makes for a fine option to fall back on when your arrows fail you, its effectiveness is rather limited when faced with an opponent of equal or greater skill."

All Bernadetta could do was let out a light chuckle in response, fully realizing she had no grounds to deny the professor's claims.

"That's not to mention your overreliance on your... _unique_ abilities." Byleth added, peering into the violet haired girl's eyes with a knowing look.

"Do I really rely on it that much…?" Bernadetta quietly asked, twiddling her fingers together as she attempted to turn away from her teacher's accusatory stare. She could hardly deny how much she had grown to bank on Sothis's abilities, yet at the same time, these abilities had allowed her to escape the jaws of death unharmed on many occasions at this point.

"Would you like me to recount all the instances that took place just yesterday?" the professor subtly teased, further flustering the timid archer before turning to face the rest of the class once again. "Our most recent battle has given me the chance to reevaluate the weaknesses of everybody present; myself included. By all means, we were fortunate to outnumber those soldiers as much as we did with our combined ranks."

"What was the deal with those enemies anyway?" Leonie asked in exasperation. "Those weren't your everyday run of the mill ruffians. They were too well organized… and seriously skilled with those unique weapons of theirs…"

"My father certainly seemed to know a lot about them; he recognized their strange armor the moment he laid eyes on their corpses. He claims they all belonged to an infamous mercenary corps from a faraway land, though we wouldn't tell me much more than that."

"Captain Jeralt knew who they were?!" Leonie's eyes lit up in realization. "Do you think that means he must have encountered them before?"

"I can certainly imagine as much; I still recall him muttering how lucky we all were to have faced a batch of fresh recruits…" Byleth sported a troubled expression as he raised a hand to his chin in contemplation. He made a motion to reach for an overturned book on his front desk, only for the familiar chime of the school bell to put a damper on his plans instead.

"I suppose that's all the time we have for today… but I must implore you all to work hard on the new goals you've been given. With enough time and effort, what you once thought of as a weakness may one day transform into one of your greatest strengths."

With a final nod of dismissal, the Golden Deer students proceeded to eagerly storm out of the classroom, though not without a few pained groans from a select handful of students dreading their newfound goals. In short time, Bernadetta found herself as the only remaining student in the room, having instinctively frozen in place for the remainder of her professor's lecture.

"So, uh… how's your new sleeve treating you?" the lilac haired girl quietly asked in a meek effort to break the shroud of silence that had ensued.

"It seems to be as good as new. It even flows a lot more smoothly than before" Byleth ran his hand along the length of the sleeve in question with a satisfied expression. "Your skills are just as impressive as I'd imagined."

"I don't really think I did anything special…" Bernadetta could feel her cheeks flaring up as she nervously attempted to deflect her professor's praise.

"There's no shame in taking pride in your talents, you know. If you hadn't offered to help me last night, I likely would have spent the entire lecture with my sleeve uselessly flopping about."

"I guess that _is_ the only coat you have, huh?" Bernadetta lightly giggled at the mental image her professor casually leading his lecture with a torn sleeve. "It was a gift from your father if I remember correctly."

"Why… yes, actually. I'm impressed you actually knew that." Byleth's eyes widened in surprise at the accuracy of his student's assessment; the memory of this cherished present was still as fresh in his mind as ever.

"There are a lot of things I know about you, Professor…"

"Is that so?" a small smirk of amusement began to form across Byleth's lips as he continued to observe his student's skittish antics. "Would you care to join me for a meal in the dining hall? It would be my treat."

"Wha- really…?" Bernadetta found herself briefly taken aback by the professor's offer. "A- are you sure you don't have anything more important to do? Especially now… I've already wasted enough of your time last night-"

"Any time spent with my students is hardly a waste to me." Byleth interrupted the girl's frantic musings as he extended his hand to repeat his offer.

"I mean… if it's really okay with you… we could even do this sort of thing more often."

"That sounds like a fine idea to me. Now come, today's mystery special isn't going to reveal itself on its own."

* * *

"So, how much would you be willing to tell me about the future?"

"Do you really believe me about that?"

"You have no reason to lie to me. Could there be any other reason for two copies of _you know who_ to appear at once?"

"So you saw that too, huh? Honestly, I have no idea what even caused that…" Bernadetta's face scrunched up in frustration as she paused to take a quick bite of her meal. "Normally, no one else can even notice her presence, but for that short moment…"

"Yes, it was as if my father could clearly see the two of them with his own eyes. Regardless, this is something we had best keep under wraps for now." Byleth calmly concluded before turning to his own plate with a thinly veiled expression of apprehension. Resisting the urge to gag, he proceeded to take a firm grasp of his fork and poke away at the dish as if it were some sort of otherworldly creature.

"_**There are honestly times where I forget your professor is supposed to be a grown man."**_Sothis sighed in disapproval at the sight of Byleth meticulously picking chunks of tomatoes out of his meal.

"_Well, I think it's charming."_ Bernadetta mentally scoffed at the Goddess's comments as the teal haired professor reached over to scoop his discarded fruits onto her plate. _"It's not like they're going to waste or anything."_

"_**I have only known my other self for but a few fleeting moments, yet I'm already disappointed that she would allow this sort of childish conduct from her companion…"**_

"_Yeah, well that other self used to be you five years ago, remember?" _Bernadetta chided the Goddess in her mind while she offhandedly mixed her professor's scraps into her own meal. _"I really missed seeing this side of him... it lets me know I'm not as abnormal as I think I am." _the purple haired time traveler smiled to herself as she continued to steal glances at the disgruntled Byleth.

"Guueeeesss whoooo?" a familiar, cheery voice sang out as a pair of hands suddenly obscured Bernadetta's vision, startling the girl enough for her to accidentally launch a glob of sauce into her own hair.

With a stifled look of amusement, Byleth promptly turned back the clock by a few short seconds to undo his student's unfortunate mishap.

"Guueeeesss wh-"

"Hello, Monica." Bernadetta flatly interrupted before the redhead could finish her greeting.

"Ooh, I'm impressed! How'd you know it was me?" Monica giggled to herself as she removed her hands from Bernadetta's sight, though not without taking a moment to ruffle her hand through her unwitting friend's hair in congratulations.

"Let's just say you have a very… unique presence about you." Bernadetta hesitated to answer, her eye slightly twitching as the Black Eagle student casually took up a seat right next to her.

"So, what brings you two to this little deserted corner? Are you on some sort of secret date?" Monica lightly asked, peering into the pair's eyes with all the curiosity of a newborn kitten.

"It's _quieter_ here… I _like_ quiet…"

"And, er, Professor…?" Monica's attention was quickly drawn to Byleth's plate, blissfully unaware of the thinly veiled frustration in Bernadetta's voice.

"I can't stand tomatoes." was the professor's simple response.

"But you're eating spaghetti right now…" Monica tilted her head in curiosity as the redhead adopted an expression of abject confusion.

"I know. I have no problems with the sauce, but whoever decided to fill it with chunks of live tomato is a bona fide war criminal in my eyes." Byleth nonchalantly explained, still continuing to pick away at his plate as Monica's confused expression remained completely unchanged.

"You're weird… a good kind of weird, but still weird."

"And how about you, Monica? What sort of occasion brings you here today?" Bernadetta curiously asked, her gaze half focused on the intrusive student as she offhandedly took another bite of her meal.

"Occasion? Do I need a reason to hang out with my best… okay, I wouldn't call you my _best _friend (that spot's reserved), but you're totally up there, Bernie!"

"So we're semi best friends, huh?" Bernadetta mentally rolled her eyes. "I guess that sounds about right…"

"You bet we are! So why didn't you two invite me down to your big skirmish in the Holy Mausoleum yesterday?!" Monica abruptly cried out, pointing an accusatory finger at the pair with a mildly offended expression on her face.

"How did you…" Bernadetta stopped herself mid-sentence before she could ask something she'd regret.

"I wasn't exactly planning on fighting anything down there. A small legion of soldiers just happened to be lingering in the area when I arrived." Byleth chimed in to explain the situation in his student's place. "All things considered, I was rather lucky to have Bernadetta bring the rest of the class into the tomb when she did." he added, making sure to shoot an urgent look at the girl in question once he was finished.

"Er, yeah… Yeah, that's exactly what happened." Bernadetta readily went along with her Professor's impromptu cover story with a vigorous nod of affirmation. "I didn't have much time to round everyone up, you know?"

"I see. I guess that explains why I couldn't find you anywhere yesterday." Monica freely bought into the pair's falsified information as she began to rummage through her pockets. "Anyway, you'll never believe what I found crumpled up outside the dorms yesterday! Check this out, Bernie!"

"Oh no…" Bernadetta clutched her head in horror as Monica brandished a dirtied, but very much intact envelope bearing the signature violet wings of house Varley on its seal. "I knew I should have just thrown that stupid thing in the river…"

"That sigil… Bernadetta, is that a letter from your par-"

"It's nothing! I swear it's nothing!" Bernadetta hastily interjected, cutting off her professor's inquiry with a desperate shake of her head. "I bet that letter's not even for me! The Varley household is a super influential name in the Empire, you know?"

"Do you know any other Bernadettas attending this academy?" Monica flatly asked as she directed the young Varley's attention to the faintly legible name written on the back of the envelope.

"Ugh, please tell me you didn't read any of it…!" Bernadetta relented with a sigh a loud sigh of defeat.

"Wha- I would never!" Monica dramatically declared, sporting another look of mock offense. "I swear I didn't take a single peek inside; that honor should go its intended recipient, don't you agree?"

"You know what? If you're so interested in this letter, you can keep it for yourself." Bernadetta angrily retorted, her arms firmly crossed as Monica and Byleth watched her sudden shift in demeanor with alarm. "Do whatever you want with it. You can eat the damn thing on the spot for all I care."

"Well, I _want_ to give it to you, Bernie." Monica graciously extended her hand to present the letter to the girl in question with the cheeriest smile she could muster.

"And I don't give a damn about what my fa… about what Count Varley wants from me!" Bernadetta fiercely snapped as she suddenly slapped the envelope out of Monica's hand, where it subsequently landed face down in her professor's plate of spaghetti.

"Professor, I, er…" Bernadetta quietly deflated upon noticing what she'd just done.

"If it's not any trouble, would you prefer if I read the letter aloud in your stead?" Byleth calmly offered, seemingly unbothered by the crimson-stained stationery lying in his meal.

"Sure… I guess I would be a little more comfortable with that…" Bernadetta reluctantly accepted, though not without shivering in apprehension of what the message could potentially have in store for her.

Wordlessly, Byleth proceeded to clean away the tomato sauce coating the envelope as Monica neatly rested her chin on her tented fingers, clearly intent on the mysterious contents of the letter at hand. With bated breath, all Bernadetta could do was freeze in place as the details of the message were laid bare for all to hear.

_To Bernadetta von Varley,_

_Five long moons… it has been nearly half a year since you've abandoned our manor on that dark, stormy night. I can only hope your time at this prestigious Officer's Academy has drilled some semblance of worth into that head of yours, but I shan't hold my breath._

Bernadetta instinctively cringed upon hearing the familiar insults of her father coming from her Professor's soothing voice. The effect was nothing short of uncanny, to say the least.

_Loathe as I am to even consider speaking with you again, I am writing to inform you that your mother has finally returned from the Imperial capital after her most recent tenure, and she has fallen ill to a mysterious ailment. Almost deathly ill, if I might add. It all began on a sunny day when a group of her compatriots urgently transported her back to the manor. Theresa had apparently collapsed on the streets of Enbarr the previous night. I can hardly begin to imagine the root cause of her ailment, but it has clearly taken a severe toll on her body. She has been confined to her bed ever since she arrived here, and her condition is only growing worse with each passing day. _

A pit formed in Bernadetta's throat as her mind instinctively imagined the sheer agony her mother must be enduring at this very moment. Though her good memories of the woman were few and far between, the young Varley heir still empathized with her situation nonetheless.

_Thus… I come to you with an immediate request. Though it goes against my better judgment, I need you to return to the manor at the earliest possible opportunity. Your mother wishes to speak with you personally; she refuses to inform me of what she plans to discuss, but alas, I had little choice but to relent. This is undoubtedly a serious matter to her, and I wish to see it fulfilled as soon as possible._

…_To think, that after all you have stolen from me, you would even go so far as to rob me of my wife as well. The thought of even being near you sickens me to my core… but you will come to meet with your mother, whether either of us likes it or not. I urge you not to be late, or there will be dire consequences._

_Sincerely, Count Allocer von Varley_

An eerie silence fell over the dining table as Bernadetta tightly clutched her heart, her mind reeling in pure disarray as her expression rapidly shifted from anger, to worry, to dread, all within the span of a few short moments. With the letter's contents finally revealed, Byleth's face contorted in disgust at the sheer callousness of Count Varley's message. Even Monica was starting to look more uncomfortable than usual in the aftermath of this revelation.

"This is… pretty serious, huh?" Monica quietly commented in a weak effort to break the silence. "You are going to see your mom, right Bernie?"

"I don't know…" Bernadetta slowly shook her head, her body slightly shivering as her mind began to fill memories she wished she could leave behind.

"I mean… I'd heard all sorts of stories about your old man floating around ever since you were dropped off at the academy in a sack, but-"

"You knew about that?"

"Well yeah, that kinda thing doesn't exactly go unmentioned, you know?" Monica shrugged awkwardly. "I'll admit I don't have anything resembling a full story on this, but that doesn't exactly stop people from speculating either."

"Yeah… I figured that would be a permanent stain on my reputation…" Bernadetta lowered her head in shame.

"Don't you want to find out _why_ your folks treated you the way they did?" Monica asked, her eyes peering into the violet haired girl's with an almost uncharacteristic sense of urgency. "The answer might surprise you."

"What do you even mean by that?"

"Whether Bernadetta goes or not is entirely up to her. Regardless of whatever threats her father may levy over her head." Byleth firmly declared, shaking his head in disapproval at the redhead's continued insistence.

"By, I…. I need some fresh air. I just lost my appetite…" Bernadetta muttered to herself as she slowly rose up from her seat and walked away from the table. Monica immediately stood up to follow after the girl, only for Byleth to stop her in her tracks with a silent, but commanding show of his hand.

"Please, allow me to handle this…" Byleth calmly requested, leaving Monica to stay behind in stunned silence as he set off to find his departed student.

It didn't take long to find the girl in question, as Bernadetta could be seen watching over the river just outside the dining hall, almost as if she were expecting the teal haired professor to follow in her footsteps.

"Why don't we take this conversation somewhere more private?" the young Ms. Varley requested, motioning over to the greenhouse down below. With a simple nod, Byleth agreed to follow the girl down the stairs, where he remained in contemplative silence until the pair shortly arrived at their destination.

"Good… now lock the doors behind us for me…" Bernadetta gave out another request, to which her professor wordlessly obliged. "So… I bet you'll probably want to know why I'm so worked up about this, huh?"

"You don't have to tell me anything if you're not comfortable with it."

"No… no, you deserve to know this much, By." Bernadetta resolutely declined.

"As you wish. Truth be told, I've heard all sorts of ugly rumors regarding you and your family ever since I arrived at this academy. Many of which have since turned out to be false…"

"Believe me, I've heard all about those rumors, and then some…" Bernadetta sheepishly admitted with a tired sigh. "I've lived my entire life in fear of my fa… of Count Varley. That fear is exactly what shaped me into the nervous wreck I was when I first came to the academy. The way he treated me led me to always expect the worst from everyone I met… to dread ever stepping foot into the outside world… to blame myself for never living up to his lofty expectations… it's like he never even saw me as a human being."

"…Do you have any idea what caused him to treat you so harshly?"

"I don't have the slightest clue…" Bernadetta shook her head in frustration. "Every time I asked him why he was always so mean to me, he'd always beat me in response. I think the only thing he ever cared about was pawning me off as a trophy wife for whatever rich noble was willing to take me, and I couldn't even do that. I tried as hard as I could to please him… to make him at least acknowledge me as a human being… yet the more that I tried, the angrier he seemed to become. He could never go two words without telling me how useless I was, or that I should never have been born. At his worst, he'd even throw me out of the manor in the dead of night and leave me to wander the chilling grounds until one of our servants eventually found me passed out in some secluded corner."

"That's…" Byleth's expression turned to one of pained sympathy as he found himself at a brief loss for words. "So the tale of you arriving at the academy in a sack…"

"That was my mother's doing, actually." Bernadetta meekly corrected. "She never had much of a noticeable presence in my life. She never did anything to hurt me, mind you, but she never stepped in to save me from her husband's abuse either… not even once."

"Do you… resent your mother for that?"

"Honestly… I don't know if I even understand her well enough to make a call on the matter. I'm still worried about her condition and all, but I just feel so disconnected from her that I…" Bernadetta paused to breathe another deep sigh.

"And how long has it been since you've last seen your parents?"

"As you've read in the letter, I haven't seen them since I joined the academy, though as far as the future is concerned… I'd honestly planned on going the rest of my life without seeing either of them again, but I guess fate has other plans for me…" Bernadetta briefly shook her head in recollection before turning to her professor with a poignant question in mind. "What would you do if you were in my place, By? I realize you never knew your own mother, but let's just pretend she was married to Count Varley for a moment. Would… you still care about her?"

"That's quite a difficult question to answer…" Byleth raised a hand to his chin in deep thought. "From what little I knew of my mother, it was clear that Jeralt loved her with all his heart… and judging from the contents of Count Varley's letter, I can at least surmise that he truly loves your mother as well."

"Well… I'm pretty certain he never did anything to mistreat her, at least."

"If I was in your place… I would probably want to hear the truth from your mother. I would ask her why she never looked out for you, and why Count Varley treated you like filth for so many years. I'd want to seek closure on the situation above all else."

"I see…"

"Regardless, I'm not going to force you to act on anything. This decision is yours, and yours alone." Byleth soothingly stated as he stepped forth to place a hand on his student's trembling shoulder. "If you wish to reunite with your parents, I'll make sure you don't go alone. If not, we can simply burn this letter and never speak of it again."

"I appreciate the thought, though even if we burn the letter, we can't exactly burn its contents from my memory." Bernadetta forced out a light giggle as her mind began to wander elsewhere. "Not unless we-"

"I'm not throwing you into a fire, Bernie."

"I know, I know. You'd never do something like that to me. I can always trust… d- did you just call me Bernie?" Bernadetta's eyes began to widen in surprise, her mind still struggling to process what she'd just heard.

"That _is _your nickname, isn't it? You were calling me by own just a few moments ago."

"Oh… oh crap, I didn't notice! I promise I won't do it again-"

"No, I… quite like it. It feels oddly soothing to hear you call me By." Byleth interrupted the girl's panicked musings before they could erupt any further.

"Okay… that's great. That's really great, By." Bernadetta thankfully muttered as she slowly leaned in to wrap her professor's body in a loving embrace. "I think I just need some time to mull everything over… can you promise to come with me if I do decide to meet my mother again?"

"Of course I will. Just be sure to take all the time you need to choose. I can assure you that Count Varley won't lay a single hand on you as long as I'm around." the former mercenary strongly declared, instinctively returning the girl's display of affection with a protective stroke of her hair.


	17. Chapter 16: The Essence of Family

"Giving up already? Come on, you two. I know you're stronger than that."

"That's… easy for you to say…" Bernadetta huffed, looking up at her professor with a pained expression while she leaned her exhausted body against a nearby tree trunk.

"I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve, Teach…" Claude heartily quipped, flashing a weak thumbs up as he knelt down to retrieve his discarded wooden blade off the forest floor.

"How much longer do we have to keep this up…?"

"Chin up, Bernie. If all goes according to plan, we'll be back in time for lunch." Claude gave his fellow trainee a sly wink of reassurance as he slinked over to whisper into the girl's ear. "I'll just need you to sit tight for a bit while I try to get Teach's attention. You'll know the right time to strike when you see it. Trust me on this."

"Yeah, sure… whatever gets me back home sooner..." Bernadetta weakly nodded in response.

"I'm no stranger to dealing with pincer attacks, I'll have you know!" Byleth warned, wary of whatever forthcoming scheme his pupil was attempting to undergo.

"That's exactly what I'm counting on, Teach!" Claude eagerly acknowledged the professor's warning as he rushed forth, blade in hand to meet the Ashen Demon in single combat.

Intrigued, Bernadetta readied her own blade while her house leader cautiously weaved in and out of his foe's effective range. Claude's approach to the duel was akin to that of an elegant waltz; fitting, considering his noble heritage. Fully aware that he had no hope of breaking through Byleth's peerless guard, he instead opted to subtly maneuver around the ex-mercenary until eventually, his back was turned to the violet haired recluse lying in wait.

"Say Teach, would you be willing to treat your hard-working students to a well-earned bounty after we're done beating you this time?" Claude coolly asked, flashing the most confident grin he could muster.

"That's _if_ you win, Claude." Byleth firmly corrected, completely unfazed by his student's attempts to charm him. "Of course, if your combined performance proves impressive enough, I may be inclined to reward your efforts accordingly." the professor calmly stated as he engaged in a fierce blade lock with his self-assured pupil.

"Oh, don't worry about that now. We've got something really special planned for you." Claude haughtily announced as he slyly slipped his hand into his front pocket. The next thing Byleth knew, his eyes were suddenly assaulted by a powdery mix of sand, dust, and ash.

Though she instinctively cringed at the sight of Byleth rubbing his aching eyes in discomfort, Bernadetta knew this was her only chance to sneak in an attack. "I'm really sorry, Professor!" the girl profusely apologized as she rushed forth to deliver a devastating jumping slash to her instructor's exposed back, followed by an equally powerful descending strike that sent her target unceremoniously tumbling to the ground on impact.

"I- I can't believe that actually worked!" Bernadetta forcefully rubbed her eyes in disbelief, fully astounded that she'd actually managed to get the upper hand on the more experienced duelist.

The girl was left with time to absorb her small victory though, as when she next opened her eyes, she found herself awkwardly standing several feet away from her professor. She immediately came to a stunning realization when she found Byleth back on his feet no worse for wear, holding back Claude's blade single-handedly as he used his free hand to retrieve a second wooden blade from his sheath.

"Wha- Professor, that's cheating!"

"And throwing sand in my eyes isn't?" Byleth flatly challenged as he easily blocked Bernadetta's oncoming strike with his second blade. "I'll give you points for your pragmatism. However…" the professor deftly disengaged from his student's simultaneous blade locks, causing them to clumsily stumble forward in surprise.

Undeterred by their mutual setback, the two trainees were quick to regain their composure, and subsequently lunged forth to mount another desperate attack on their instructor, but by then, their fates were already sealed.

"Your tactics are far too predictable!" Byleth fiercely declared, striking down on his student's weapons with enough force to snap the two wooden blades off their hilts.

"Right… point taken." Claude awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he stared down at his newly broken blade with a look of mild disappointment. "Damn. I really thought we had him this time…" he added under his breath, utterly perplexed by his professor's uncanny ability to adapt to any situation.

"Does this mean we can go back now…?" Bernadetta looked up at her professor with pleading eyes.

"I suppose it would be difficult to continue without any spare blades..." Byleth joked, prompting a brief fit of alarm from his exhausted pupils as he stared down at his own weapons in contemplation. "With that said, your skills _have_ shown steady improvement since we began these sessions together. I'd say the two of you have earned a long respite for your troubles."

"Whelp, that's all I needed to hear, Teach. I dunno about you, but all this vigorous training's really worked up my appetite!" Claude announced as he eagerly turned in the direction of the academy.

"You can go on ahead, Claude." Bernadetta requested, having taken the time to rest her weary against another tree trunk. "We'll catch up with you soon."

"Oh, I understand. I'll be sure to give you two all the privacy you need!" the house leader gleefully teased, heralding his timid classmate with a mock salute before darting off into the depths of the forest.

"No, no, no, I swear it's not what you're thinking…!" Bernadetta attempted to protest, but the elusive trickster was already long gone by the time she managed to sputter her words out. Sighing in defeat, she proceeded to turn to her professor with an apologetic expression on her face. "I'm er… sorry about that sneak attack from earlier, By. I hope I didn't hurt you too much."

"There's no need for concern, Bernie. I've had much worse in the past. If anything, I'm worried I may have worked you a little too hard today."

"N- no, not at all!" Bernadetta hastily reassured. "Our training sessions were actually a lot tougher for me in our original time. It was always a struggle for you to even get me to attend…" the girl wistfully admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck in recollection.

"Is that so? I can only imagine the lengths you went through to skip out on our sessions." Byleth chuckled to himself in amusement.

"Hey, come on, I'm not Hilda! I still went along with them after some… mild convincing!" Bernadetta's cheeks flared up in embarrassment as she frantically attempted to defend her past deeds.

"I know, I know. You're obviously a much different person now than you were all those years ago... or at least, all those years ago from your perspective."

"It's best not to overthink this sort of thing. I'd much rather focus on the time we can spend together now." Bernadetta heartfully claimed as she stepped forth to lock hands with the object of her affections. "We should really get back to the academy… but I think I think we can afford to take it a little slowly."

"You seem awfully eager to put your hands all over me lately." Byleth awkwardly noted, having flinched in surprise the moment the shorter girl took his hand.

"Ah, sorry… it's kind of a force of habit from our original time…!" Bernadetta nervously admitted, actively diverting her gaze from Byleth's inquisitory eyes in a vain attempt to hide the newest blush that had sparked across her cheeks. "I always used to throw you into a hug whenever I needed to lift my spirits, but if you think it's creepy, I'll never do it again!"

"No, not at all…" Byleth refuted the girl's worries with a slow shake of his head. "If this makes you happy, who am I to deny you?"

"That's, uh… well, that's great."

Fully content, a nostalgic smile formed across Bernadetta's lips as the pair set off on the path back to Garreg Mach. Though she was too embarrassed to display any form of affection to Byleth in public, she still longed to reestablish a familiar connection with the man she loved whenever the opportunity arose. Even if the professor had little knowledge of the deep bond they shared in their future, Bernadetta could always find mental solace by looking back on the fond memories she had of him.

* * *

Bernadetta was abruptly brought out of her blissful trance when a familiar, feminine voice rang out of the monastery's grand entrance hall. Though she could hardly make out the source of this voice, its panicked tone made it perfectly clear that it wasn't alone either. Out of pure curiosity, Byleth and Bernadetta promptly pressed their heads against the door to listen in on the ongoing conversation unnoticed.

"I- I'm sorry, I've just been really, er… distracted these past couple of weeks! If I'd known you were coming, I totally would have brought Edie out with me to meet you!"

"Distracted, you say?" a deep, male voice questioned in an accusatory tone. "Have you lost sight of the purpose you have been given? Or dare I say… have you forgotten the desire that drove you to this forsaken monastery in the first place? To claim retribution against the man responsible for the grave injustice you have suffered?"

"N- no, I could never forget!" the female desperately deflected. "They'd… never forgive me if I forgot… I'd never forgive myself if forgot…"

"You would do well to reconsider your allegiances, Monica. Though I am starting to regret placing such an irreplaceable role in the hands of one so incompetent…" the older man sternly mused, eliciting an uncomfortable silence from his redheaded subordinate in response. "And just how long do you plan on keeping our uninvited guests waiting?"

"U- uninvited guests?"

Realizing that her presence had been fully compromised, Bernadetta instinctively squeezed down on her professor's hand and leaped back in time to a point shortly before the pair started to eavesdrop on Monica's conversation.

"That was too close for comfort…" Bernadetta clutched a hand to her heart in an effort to calm her racing nerves. "Wh- who do you think Monica was speaking with back there?"

"I can hardly say… I've never heard that other voice before in my life." Byleth returned the girl's fearful question with a dubious shake of his head. "There's only one surefire way to find out. Shall we?" the professor asked, gesturing towards the large door to the entrance hall in a subtle offer for his nervous student to take the lead.

"I guess we have no choice." Bernadetta hesitantly agreed, gently opening the door before her to reveal Monica speaking with an older dark haired figure with prominent facial hair and garbed in an ornate white robe.

"I- I'm really sorry, I've just been really-" Monica repeated her profuse apology, only for her words to fall short upon taking notice of her fellow student's surprise appearance. "Oh, er, Bernie! Fancy seeing you here!"

"You…!" the older man loudly gasped the moment he set eyes on the lilac haired recluse.

"Y- you don't mean me, do you..?" Bernadetta fearfully asked, instinctively shriveled up in fear under the watchful gaze of the unfamiliar stranger.

"Ah, please, pay me no mind. I simply mistook you for someone I know." the stranger shook his head with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The resemblance is truly unsettling…" he added under his breath, his eyes still tracking Bernadetta's movements even as the girl hastily retreated under the safety of Byleth's overcoat.

"Bernie… Professor… I'd like you two to meet Lord Arundel." Monica shakily stepped forth to introduce the intimidating gentleman standing by her side. "He's Edelgard's uncle and the Empire's current regent. Please, er… please be sure to show him his due respect."

"_**Lord Arundel…"**_ Sothis quietly muttered. _**"Why do I feel such a malicious aura emanating from this man?"**_

"_I don't know… I've heard his name thrown around a lot when I was still in the Empire, but this is the first time I've seen him in person."_

"I am simply a man of no consequence." Arundel humbly waved off the redhead's grandiose introduction. "Though I must say, I have been meaning to meet with you for quite some time, Professor Eisner.

"Is that so? Well, it's certainly a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Arundel." Byleth returned the regent's greeting with a slight bow of his head.

"Come now, there is no need to indulge in such formalities, Professor. We are all equals here, are we not?" Arundel generously declared, expectantly directing his towards Monica, who proceeded to nod profusely in agreement. "And… if I am not mistaken, is that the young Ms. Varley hiding behind your coat at the moment?"

"Uh… maybe?" Bernadetta sheepishly poked her head out from behind the safety of her professor's coat in response.

"How fascinating… have you not come to pay a visit to your family in the past few weeks?"

"Er, no I… I had more important things to take care of…"

"More important than attending to your own flesh and blood, you say?" Arundel raised an eyebrow in amusement at the nervous student's answer. "I hope you realize this may be your last chance to speak with your mother again."

"I… how do you know about-"

"Come on, Bernie!" the girl's rebuttal was cut short when Monica stealthily crept up to take hold of her hand. "Why don't we go ahead and pick up Lord Arundel's beloved niece for him? I bet they'd love to have a sweet little family reunion!"

"Wha- hey! Can't you do that yourself?! Get your hands off me!" Bernadetta angrily denied, only for her protests to fall on deaf ears as the redhead forcefully dragged her away from the relative comfort of her current position.

"Just trust me when I say you don't want to keep Lord Arundel waiting!" Monica quietly pleaded in a voice barely above a whisper. "Now come on, let's scoot!"

Before the confused recluse knew it, the Black Eagle student had already taken her away from the entrance hall against her will, leaving Arundel and Byleth to silently stare upon the spectacle with abject confusion.

* * *

"What the hell is this about, Monica?!"

"I told you, we're going off to find Edie!" Monica hastily replied, her tone lidden with a slight hint of shakiness as her attention was solely focused on getting as much distance from the entrance hall as humanly possible. "It's… kind of my job to keep an eye on her, actually."

"Yeah, I figured, but what does that have to do with me!?" Bernadetta frantically asked as the pair began to circle around the eastern side of the monastery.

"Is it too much trouble to ask for help once in a while?"

The whole situation was nothing short of perplexing for Bernadetta. If she didn't know any better, she could swear that Monica was somehow more terrified of Lord Arundel than she was… but for what purpose?

"_Sothis… you don't think Arundel is…"_

"_**I would not discount the possibility."**_ the Goddess unsurely agreed with her companion's conclusion. _**"The only question here is the role he has to play in the grand scheme of things…"**_

"_Whatever it is, he clearly has Monica firmly under his thumb…" _Bernadetta grimly noted, more uncertain of the Black Eagle student's fealties than ever. Curious as she was to learn of the girl's reasons for coming to the monastery so early, she could hardly afford to risk revealing the depths of her own knowledge either. The best she could do was toss around one wild theory after another within her mind while the mysterious girl led her on a fruitless goose chase through the sparse grounds of the academy.

The pair's search only ground to a halt when they eventually came across a familiar group of children happily frolicking about within the monastery's gardens.

"Hey, I know these kids…!" Monica's eyes lit up the moment she set her sights on the small gathering of younglings. "Hello there, Kyle! It's been so long since we've seen you!"

"Huh?" the young boy turned his head in curiosity upon hearing the cheerful voice calling out to him. "Look, everyone! Miss Monica came to visit us!"

"Miss Monica, huh?" Bernadetta turned to face the redhead with a look of mild amusement. "How do you know all of these kids?"

"Let's just say Dimitri and I had our hands full while you were away in Ashe's village." Monica replied with a mischievous smirk as the group of children excitedly rushed over to meet with the pair.

"Kyle, what are you doing here? I thought the village refugees weren't supposed to arrive for another couple of days!"

"Miss Bernie, you're here too!" Kyle happily proclaimed as he proceeded to wrap around the student's wastes in the widest hug he could muster. "Ashe said we could all come to the monastery early!"

"It's such a nice place here, too! You two are so lucky to get to live here all year long!" one of the other children, a girl that appeared to be the youngest member of the group, happily chimed in.

"Oh, you bet! There's so much to see, so much to learn, so many nice people to mess around with… you're gonna love it here at Garreg Mach, Elle!" Monica heartily claimed as she playfully ruffled a hand through the smaller girl's hair.

"I'm just happy to finally get some proper meals for myself..." a taller child quietly muttered to himself, staring off in the direction of the dining hall with a longing expression.

"I guess it can't be easy having to live off of spare rations, huh?" Bernadetta tilted her head in sympathy at the boy's relatable plight. "Ashe must have been especially hard at work getting everyone's new home ready."

"Ooh, and guess what, Miss Monica?" Kyle excitedly tugged at the redhead's skirt to grab her attention. "We've even made a new friend since we've arrived!"

As if on cue, another girl abruptly emerged from the nearby bushes the moment Kyle finished his sentence. By all accounts, this girl appeared to be significantly older than the group of village children that had gathered here. She stood roughly around the same height as Bernadetta, clad in the familiar uniform of Garreg Mach's students and topped off with an elaborate head of emerald green hair.

"Ah-ha! I have finally caught up with the lot of you!" the newcomer eagerly declared to the group of children with a look of overwhelming self-pride.

"Hey, isn't that…?"

"This just got a lot more interesting." Monica perked up in curiosity at the sight of the peculiar girl in front of her. "We don't see your kind out here too often, Flayn."

"Ah, hello there… Monica, was it? And Count Allocer's daughter as well, what a surprise!"

"It's Bernadetta, actually…" the girl in question quietly corrected, resisting the urge to grimace at hearing her father's name.

"Ah, my apologies. Your name seems to have slipped my mind." Flayn quickly appeased with a brief bow of her head. "Do the two of you happen to be acquaintances of these village youths here?"

"Oh, you know, we kind of helped to save their lives when their hometown was laid under siege." Monica offhandedly explained, her eyes slightly narrowing as she seemed to peer into the churchgoer's very soul with an unreadable expression. "And you?"

"The misfortune that befell these youth's hometown was nothing short of a tragedy…" Flayn's gaze briefly dropped in recollection of the fateful day that robbed the children of their homes. "Thus, I have come to their new residence today in the hopes of easing the refugees into their new lives here at Garreg Mach, and I must say, these children are absolutely wonderful!"

"Well, it certainly looks like you've managed to make fast friends with all of them." Bernadetta happily noted as the collected youths eagerly gathered around the short priestess.

"Indeed we have. I have agreed to act as a storyteller for these youths, and in turn, they have taught me all sorts of fun games I have never experienced before!" Flayn contentedly clasped her hands together as one of the girls of the group lightly tugged at the back of her skirt.

"You're getting much better at hide and seek, Miss Flayn!" the younger girl merrily congratulated.

"Why thank you, Sophie. Truth be told, I have not had this much fun in ages!" Flayn enthusiastically replied, patting the girl on the head as if she were a younger sister to her.

"_**Tell me… do you believe the Agarthans have any chance of peacefully coexisting with the rest of humanity?"**_ Sothis suddenly asked from within the depths of Bernadetta's mind.

"_Er… what's this about all of a sudden_?" the purple haired student asked in confusion at the Goddess's unexpected inquiry.

"_**Call it a bout of curiosity… it's quite clear that Flayn has no knowledge of the true natures of these children, yet they have all settled into a comfortable rapport all the same, and in such a short time to boot…"**_

"_Well… if Flayn can get along with them so easily, I'd like to think everyone else can do the same… these kids hardly seem any different than human children to me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were all a sweet little family, regardless of the vast difference in their blood."_ Bernadetta commented as the youths suddenly dispersed away from Flayn like a pack of hyperactive kittens.

"You should try to seek us out again Miss Flayn! We're not all gonna hide in one place this time around!"

"Now wait a moment, Ruca! Are we not supposed to take turns…?" Flayn desperately called out to the fleeing children, only for her words to fall short as the kids had already cleared out of the garden faster than she could retort.

Amused, Bernadetta and Monica lightly giggled at the young priestess's personal conundrum as a heavy series of footsteps rapidly approached their location.

"Flayn! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" came the booming voice of Seteth as the church official hurriedly marched into the garden with Byleth in tow.

"Hello there, Brother. And you as well, Professor. You worry far too much about me."

"I'd like to think that your sudden disappearance would be a valid cause for concern, especially at a time such as this!" Seteth sharply retorted, his eyes nearly bloodshot out of worry for his younger sibling. "For all I knew, you may have been kidnapped from right under my nose!"

"_It's funny you should say that…"_ Bernadetta darkly commented to herself as her professor began to approach her with a mixed expression of amusement and unease.

"Speaking of sudden disappearances… did the two of you happen to find Edelgard anywhere?"

"Er, not really… to be honest, I'm not even sure if she's on campus at the moment…" Monica hesitantly answered after taking a moment to reflect on her house leader's whereabouts. "It's weird; I haven't seen a single hair of her all day."

"That's quite troubling…" Seteth started, scratching his beard in trepidation as his gaze slowly settled on the two students present. "I have been hoping to deliver this news to her personally, but I suppose it's far more important that you learn of this development as well, Bernadetta."

"Wha- me…?" Bernadetta quietly asked, stifling a gulp in fearful anticipation of whatever news was in store for her.

"I trust you are aware of the mysterious illness that has claimed your mother?" the church official asked, receiving a silent nod from the daughter of house Varley in response. "We've just received reports of similar cases cropping up all across your father's territory… they've gotten so serious that I fear there may be a plague on our hands."

"Th- that's terrible… do you have any idea what's causing all of this?"

"I suspect this may be a manufactured illness of some sort, but we have no way of confirming such a theory at the moment…" Seteth paused to release a deep breath of frustration before continuing. "This brings us to your class's mission for the coming moon. You are to travel to your father's territory to investigate the origins of this plague and provide aid to those afflicted by it in whatever way you can."

"I- I have to…" Bernadetta's eyes widened in terror at the prospect of returning to the land she once called home. Try as she might hold off on visiting her mother, it seemed as though outside circumstances were conspiring to force a family reunion sooner than she had anticipated.

"Don't you still need us to help secure the monastery? With the way things are now, I know you don't have a whole lot of knights to spare…" the violet haired student desperately reasoned.

"That should not be an issue, actually. We're expecting several large garrisons of knights to return from their most recent deployments in just a few days." Seteth casually explained, eliciting a quiet groan of distress from the reluctant Ms. Varley.

"I would like to come as well, Brother!"

"…It seems my hearing isn't quite what it used to be. Would you mind repeating that for me, Flayn?" Seteth awkwardly requested, perhaps in the silent hope that his sister's sudden outburst was merely a figment of his imagination.

"I said I would like to assist the Professor on his upcoming mission, Brother!" Flayn loudly parroted her request, her frustrated tone eliciting a loud sigh of dismay from her concerned elder brother.

"We have already been over this. You know I cannot allow you to leave the monastery, Flayn." the church official sternly refused with crossed arms. "The events of this school year thus far have been nothing short of turbulent; not a single day has passed where I haven't feared for your safety within the walls of this academy, let alone the unforgiving lands lying outside!"

"It is precisely because of those unforgiving lands that wish to help! I have done nothing but sit idly by in this silent sanctuary while countless people have been helplessly struggling and suffering elsewhere! Even if I cannot cure the victims of this plague, I can at least do all in my power to ease their needless pain!"

"Flayn… I understand your grievances, yet-"

"I think she should come too!" Bernadetta instinctively blurted out before Seteth could continue his argument. Though she quickly came to regret her decision the moment she attracted the direct stares of everybody present. "That is to say, uh… with how expansive Count Varley's territory is, we could probably use all the help we could get on our investigation. If you think she could be in danger even within the monastery, then maybe she'll be safer with us… right, Professor?"

"You'll hear no objections from me." Byleth was quick to answer his student's unsubtle plea for help. "If Flayn truly desires to come along, we would have no problem keeping an eye on her while she's away."

"It seems you have no intention of relenting…" Seteth warily commented, briefly shooting a subtle stare of suspicion towards the professor before ultimately relenting. "Very well. I shall allow Flayn to accompany you, albeit under the condition that you are overseen by a squadron of knights of my choosing."

"Do you truly mean it? Why, I cannot thank you two enough!" Flayn graciously bowed her head to Bernadetta and Byleth with a content smile spread across her lips. "There are few people out there who can successfully get my brother to listen to reason."

"F- Flayn!" Seteth shouted in embarrassment as his sister proceeded to turn in the direction of the garden's entrance.

"Now if you might all excuse me, I have a game of seeking to attend to."

"Flayn, please slow down! You'll be in no condition to travel if you slip and break your legs!" Seteth urgently called out as he frantically chased his fleeing sister out of the garden.

"Interesting move… why the sudden concern for Flayn's safety, Bernie?" Monica asked, leaning far too close to Bernadetta for comfort.

"There's no particular reason, really…" Bernadetta shyly backed away in response. "I was just… really moved by Flayn's dedication to helping people, you know?"

"I'll admit she doesn't seem half bad for someone of her kind." Monica offhandedly agreed with a haughty shrug.

"Are you holding up alright, Bernadetta?" Byleth asked, sporting a concerned look as the girl's gaze slowly began to drift down. "I know it must be hard for you to have to confront your parents on such short notice."

"I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but it's not like I have much of a choice at this point…"

"Really? I thought you'd be at least a little excited at the prospect of returning home. I'm sure it's been a long time since you've-"

"Home? Don't be ridiculous!" Bernadetta interrupted Monica with an aggressive stare. "Home is supposed to be a place where you can feel safe and welcome! That wretched manor was never home to me, and it never will be! Why else do you think I've been trying to avoid it all this time?!"

"Alright, alright. I know when I'm not wanted…"

Stunned by the normally timid archer's sudden outburst, Monica awkwardly adjusted her collar and proceeded to follow in Seteth and Flayn's footsteps out of the garden. "I know you might not feel the same way, but even with all the bad memories you have of your home, that still doesn't change who your family is. I'd do all I can to treasure that if I were in your shoes."

"More like family in name only…" Bernadetta muttered to herself, barely focusing on the retreating Black Eagle student as she steadily disappeared from her sight. Frustrated by how little control she had of the situation at hand, the unwilling daughter of House Varley slowly turned around to find Byleth still lingering in the area, silently watching over her with a thinly masked look of concern.

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I can hardly blame you for cracking under pressure." Byleth weakly shook his head in an effort to reassure the girl. "This must be dredging up some unpleasant reminders for you…"

"You can say that again…" Bernadetta lightly chuckled at her own misfortune as she looked up to the sky in recollection. "None of _this_… ever happened the first time around. It was around this point when I decided to join your class in our original time, but there wasn't some massive plague sweeping over my family's territory. Instead, we set off towards the Kingdom to take back the Lance of Ruin after Sylvain's older brother stole it for himself. The real Lance of Ruin, not some replica."

"How troubling..." Byleth raised a hand to his chin in deep thought. "And is it true that you had cut off all contact with your parents since arriving at Garreg Mach?"

"I'm kind of ashamed to admit it, but…" Bernadetta let out a deep breath before looking her professor in the eyes with an expression of pure guilt. "Do you still recall Count Varley's letter?" she nervously asked, receiving a blunt nod in return. "Well… I actually received a similar letter from him back in our original time. I never actually bothered to read it, though. I simply threw it away without a second thought and went on with my life as if nothing happened… but now that I look back on it, I can only assume that the letter's message was identical to the one you're familiar with."

"And your mother…" Byleth quietly muttered, his eyes slightly widening in realization.

"Yeah… for all I know, she must have died painfully in our manor without me being aware of it." Bernadetta guiltily admitted. "I know my parents were the ones responsible for bringing me into this world, and they certainly looked just like me, yet no matter how hard I tried, we could never seem to understand each other. Even still… I feel like I owe it to _her_ to make up for my past mistake."

"Perhaps this is fate's way of giving the two of you another chance to reconnect." Byleth thoughtfully theorized. "I may have never had the opportunity with my own mother, but if you ever want to come to an understanding with yours, then this is the only way to do it."

"Yeah, I understand." Bernadetta solemnly nodded in agreement. "I've held off on this long enough. If I don't take this chance now, I may never have another."

"If that is your decision, then I'll be ready to support you every step of the way." Byleth resolutely declared as his violet haired companion boldly approached him to take his hand in hers once again.

"Thanks, By. I wouldn't have it any other way." Bernadetta looked up at the teal haired professor with a longing smile before turning in the direction of the dining hall. "Why don't we go and grab a bite to eat together?" she asked, receiving a short murmur of approval in reply.

With a newfound spring in the young Ms. Varley's step, the pair proceeded to make their way out of the garden at a leisurely pace. If Bernadetta was going to confront her past, she took solace in the fact that she would not have to do it alone.


	18. Chapter 17: Declining Nobles

The atmosphere was nothing short of gloomy as the Golden Deer class finally came within sight of the illustrious dwelling of House Varley. The secluded valley that made up their surroundings was drenched with an endless torrent of cascading rain, further impeding the group's march while Bernadetta gazed down upon the dark manor she once resided in with a look of unbridled dread. The crackle of lightning striking down from behind the elaborate structure hardly helped matters either, making it seem more akin to the lair of a demon than a nobleman's estate.

"You should really watch your step there, Bernadetta!" a booming loudly warned, urgently pointing to the girl's feet as she lingered precariously close to the edge of the rocky trail they were traversing. "I know we're all feeling a little _under the weather_, but one slip is all it will take for you to lose your footing!"

"Er, right. Thanks, Alois…" Bernadetta hurriedly complied, returning the portly knight's words of advice with a halfhearted smile in gratitude. "I wouldn't want that to happen again…" she added under her breath, tightening her grip on her signature hoodie as she vividly recalled the incident that kicked off her unwitting journey through time.

Out of all the Knights of Seiros that could have potentially come along for the ride, the lilac haired recluse took some much needed comfort in Seteth's choice, even if the rest of the party had quickly grown tired of the warrior's ill-timed puns.

"Ugh, couldn't we all just slide down the cliff instead of following this stupidly complicated path? I'm sure it'd be a lot more fun that way!"

"Sure, as long as you don't mind getting skewered on one of those jagged rocks along the way." Lysithea rolled her eyes at the suggestion, not even bothering to ask why a certain Black Eagle student was accompanying them as she carefully eyed the enormous drop looming over the edge.

"This isn't a field trip, Monica. We're here on an official investigation." Byleth was quick to remind the ever-present, self-invited redhead as she curiously stuck her head over the edge of the ravine.

"I just wanna know what the guy who built this place was thinking when he placed such an elaborate mansion in the back of this obscure valley." Claude wondered aloud, draping a leather cloak above his head in a vain attempt to fend off the pouring rain as he scanned the eerily enclosed environment surrounding the Varley manor. With the towering rock walls surrounding the residence on multiple sides, the only direct path to the structure came in the form of an expanse of forest that seemed to stretch out far beyond the reach of the valley itself.

"It is said that this valley was once a place of great significance to Saint Indech. Or so I've been told." Flayn eagerly filled in the blanks, attracting a number of curious stares from her impromptu classmates with her explanation.

"Why yes, according to the accounts I've read, Saint Indech has been known to be an extraordinarily shy person in his life." Ignatz was quick to corroborate the young priestess's claims, his eyes lighting up in interest as he recounted his own knowledge of the saint's life. "As someone who spent most of his life in solitude, I can imagine this would have been an ideal point for him to take up residence…"

"Why yes, you are quite knowledgeable on the topic, Ignatz." Flayn earnestly congratulated the young artist for his efforts with a confirmatory nod. "Saint Indech was certainly the type of person who would go out of his way to avoid human contact… though with that in mind, I cannot help but wonder how his Crest managed to pass onto future generations…"

"That sure sounds a lot like someone we know, huh?" Monica lightly teased Bernadetta, who only continued to silently stare in the direction of her former abode in response.

"Still, I can't imagine this location would make it easy for Count Varley to conduct his business…" Lorenz aptly noted. "I can understand its significance to his family's Crest, especially as the Empire's Minister of Religious Affairs, yet if people can hardly move to and fro his abode…"

"Count Varley was never really fond of making public appearances, at least as far as I can tell." Bernadetta quietly theorized. "In fact, he was never exactly fond of visitors either. He'd always be in a worse mood than usual whenever anyone came along unannounced…" she instinctively shuddered upon recalling her father's distaste of uninvited guests before turning to Byleth with a pleading expression. "You know… I'd be willing to sleep outside if we were left with no other choice."

"Now there's something I never thought I'd hear from you." Claude rapidly blinked in surprise at the typically reclusive girl's abnormal request.

"Normally I wouldn't put much stock in where I go to sleep, but with all this pouring rain?" Leonie immediately questioned the young Varley's offer. "We'd all catch colds before the night is up!"

"Come now, Bernadetta. I'm sure your father will be more than willing to accommodate us all, even on such short notice. What sort of _pour_ soul would he have to be to deny the Knights of Seiros and their entourage?"

"That's not what I'm worried about, Alois…" Bernadetta nervously giggled at the knight's joke out of politeness as her forward pace began to slow to a crawl. She soon came to a halt upon feeling the familiar comfort of her professor's hand on the back of her shoulder.

"We may have to rest under the roof of Count Varley for the night, but we are under no obligation to cater to his whims either." Byleth resolutely proclaimed, the tale of the unfortunate peasant boy who dared to befriend his companion still fresh in his mind. "Whether he likes it or not, we're going to need a temporary base of operations while we perform our investigation. Should he do anything to disrupt our activities, I can assure you the consequences will be dire." the professor slyly added, earning an eager nod from Monica in approval.

"Oh yeah, I bet he'd hate to find out what happens when he pisses off Rhea's favorite teacher!" the accompanying Black Eagle happily concurred, patting a hand on her violet haired schoolmate's back in a quick effort to raise her spirits.

"I guess that's a reassuring thought…" Bernadetta softly accepted with a weak smile, having made what peace she could with the inevitable reunion she was due to experience. "It's already too late to turn back. We might as well get this over with as soon as we can, right?"

Unleashing a deeply held breath, Bernadetta unhesitantly took hold of her professor's guiding hand and mentally steeled herself for her long awaited homecoming.

* * *

As large as the Varley manor appeared from a distance, the true scope of the residence only became clear when the Golden Deer class finally arrived on the premises proper. Like an oasis hidden away from the world's eye, the grounds were covered in a remarkably well kept array of shrubbery and stone tiled floors. An elegant fountain lay in the middle of the manor's courtyard, acting as a beacon of sorts amidst the drizzling rain falling down upon its surroundings.

"This is a pretty nice place you've got here, Bernie." Monica casually whistled in admiration of the young Varley's past home.

"It's not really that impressive…" Bernadetta promptly dismissed the redhead's praises, paying little heed to her past surroundings as the group gradually made their way through the courtyard. "I've already had more than my fill of this place." the violet haired recluse darkly muttered to herself, hanging her head low while she proceeded to hurriedly drag her professor onward.

"Bernadetta, please slow down." Byleth urgently warned, awkwardly struggling to keep up with his student's hastened pace. "You'll only get us both hurt if you don't watch where you're going."

"You'd do well to heed your professor, young lady! You've only just returned to us, after all!" an elderly voice suddenly called out from the distance.

Surprised, the Varley heir froze in her tracks and looked up to find a lone figure rapidly approaching her direction, seemingly unfazed by the poor weather bearing down on him. Judging from the distinct black uniform and tailcoat jacket the man was wearing, he appeared to be a servant of the Varley manor. "Sir Rowan…?" Bernadetta's eyes promptly lit up in surprise as the newcomer dutifully presented himself to her with a respectful bow.

"Your eyes are still as sharp as ever, I see. Welcome home, Lady Bernadetta." the older gentleman greeted with a warm, inviting smile. "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

"Y- yeah… I almost didn't recognize you for a second…" Bernadetta breathed a small sigh of relief, her tensions slowly fading as the remainder of her group promptly rushed over join up with her.

"I assume you two are already familiar with one another?" Byleth curiously asked, his interest fully piqued as he silently examined the aging butler standing before him.

"Well, yeah, I've known Sir Rowan since I was a child. He's served as the head butler here at the manor for as long as I can remember."

"Oh, is that so? You certainly seem like a respectable gentleman, and one with a pristine sense of facial hair to boot!" Alois heartily observed, taking note of the butler's greying, yet well-trimmed beard as he stepped forth to offer the man an enthusiastic handshake.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet a fellow connoisseur under such circumstances." Rowan enthusiastically concurred as he readily reached out his hand to return the knight's kind gesture. "But I must assure you, I am nothing more than a humble servant of the Varley family. I must say, you've managed to gather quite a lively group of companions, haven't you, Lady Bernadetta?" the butler keenly noted, his gaze slowly shifting across the Golden Deer students that had gathered around him while his young liege nervously fidgeted in place from all the attention focused on her.

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it…"

"Please, allow me to invite you all inside. I'm sure the lot of you must be exhausted from the extensive trip you took to arrive here." Rowan promptly turned around, gesturing to the manor's front door with an elaborate flourish of his hand. "I've also taken the liberty of preparing a myriad of hot drinks in advance to help warm your weary spirits. You'll surely need all the energy you can get on your upcoming investigation."

"We would be more than happy to oblige, Sir Rowan. It seems the services of a butler are just as meticulous I have been told." Flayn responded to the butler's dutiful offers with a respectful bow of her own. "I simply must repay you for your kindness."

"Uh… Flayn?" Claude tilted his head in confusion as the young priestess suddenly began to rummage through her own pockets with gusto. "What are you doing?"

"Are we not supposed to return the tireless efforts of our servants with a respectable monetary reward?" Flayn innocently asked, having retrieved a large handful of gold coins from her person. "I've been told this was a long-standing tradition in the Empire."

"Er, no. We don't exactly do that sort of thing around here..." Bernadetta awkwardly refuted her naïve companion's innocuous claims. "Who could have given you that idea?" the violet haired recluse curiously asked, to which Monica discreetly whistled a short tune in response. The redhead's attempts to brush off her manipulations didn't go unnoticed by Claude, who simply directed an amused smirk at the girl in response.

"Your generosity is greatly appreciated, but there is no need to lavish me with praise for something so simple. The satisfaction of his guests is all the reward a proper butler ever requires." Rowan was quick to humbly deny the emerald haired churchgoer's offer with a calm shake of his head. "Come now, you've all stood out in the cold long enough. Oh, and of course I will be sure to notify Count Allocer of your arrival at the earliest opportunity."

"Right… that's just great…" Bernadetta grimly murmured at the mention of her father, still gripping her professor's hand and silently rooting herself to the ground as the rest of her company eagerly made their way inside the mansion, leaving only herself, Byleth, and Rowan remaining after only a matter of seconds.

"Lady Bernadetta…" the butler's voice shortly cut into the silence the moment he noticed the girl's idleness. "Is something troubling your friend over there?" he asked, directing Bernadetta's gaze over to Claude, who had also stayed behind, his brow furrowed and gaze transfixed on the elderly servant for reasons unknown.

"Oh please, don't mind me." the Golden Deer leader immediately raised his hands up in innocence. "I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew you from somewhere, but it's clearly just my imagination. Come along, lovebirds, you can't stay outside forever!"

"Lovebirds?! Rowan, I swear we haven't done anything-" Bernadetta frantically opened her mouth to protest, only for Claude to take hold of her free hand before she could finish. Before the unwitting Ms. Varley knew it, she and the professor were forcefully being dragged into the manor in a makeshift conga line, much to the amusement of the servant witnessing the scene.

"I never imagined the young mistress would have changed so dramatically since I delivered her to the academy…" the Varley's servant noted to himself with a faint, yet knowing smile.

* * *

"Mm! These treats are delicious! I bet my little sis would love these if she had the chance to try some!"

"Ugh, must I remind you that we are in the middle of a nobleman's estate, Raphael? You should at least show some semblance of proper etiquette before the lord of the manor arrives to witness this display." Lorenz grumbled in frustration at the sight of his giant blonde classmate shoveling a plateful of cookies into his mouth.

"It's not a crime to enjoy sweets, Lorenz." Lysithea was quick to rebuke the young noble's loud complaints. "I, for one, am grateful for this opportunity to indulge in this generous meal." the tiny mage fiercely glared at her condescending classmate before taking a forceful bite out of the slice of cake in her hand.

"Careful, Lysithea. I could hear that heavy chomp from the other side of the table here. Bite any harder, and you're bound to crack a few teeth in the process!" Claude heartily joked at the expense of his youngest classmate, nearly provoking the mage into throwing her own cup of tea at her house leader in retaliation; a maneuver that was only stopped by the swift intervention of Hilda.

"Ooh, are we about to have a food fight? Count me in!" Monica gleefully rubbed her hands together at the prospect of plastering the nearest unfortunate soul with the biggest handful of frosting she could gather.

"What is this food fight you speak of?" Flayn innocently asked, understandably confused by the redhead's enthusiastic idea. "Are we to go to battle with these sweets as our weapons?"

"Well, you see-"

"Don't even think about it, Monica! Especially not here!" Bernadetta loudly warned before the Black Eagle student could even begin to fill Flayn's head with any more shaky ideas. With a simple look, she signaled for Leonie to physically restrain the mischievous imp to ensure that she could not start any chaos within the confines of the dining hall.

"It warms my heart to see such a healthy spirit among your new companions, Lady Bernadetta." Rowan lightly chuckled as the girl in question comfortably huddled herself up in a distant corner of the dining hall alongside Byleth and Marianne. The gathered Golden Deer students had certainly taken a quick liking to the manor's hospitality, enjoying a much deserved refresher whilst Alois and the knights spread out across the premises to begin collecting information for their upcoming mission.

"I guess that's one way of putting it…" Bernadetta awkwardly joined in on the servant's quiet laughter in acknowledgment of her class's unique oddities. "I know you probably weren't expecting me to come back with a class full of Alliance students, but they're all really good people deep down."

"Indeed they are. In fact, Bernadetta's always seemed more at home with them than her fellow Adrestians." Byleth readily concurred with his pupil's evaluation of her schoolmates.

"It's not that I hated any of my old classmates, mind you, it's just-"

"Come now, there should be no need to worry about the status of your friends so long as you've found a place where you can safely belong with them. I'm sure your mother will be glad to hear of this news as well." Rowan calmly reassured his young liege with another welcoming smile as the rest of the class continued to enjoy their meal.

"I can only hope so…"

"Speaking of your mother, I've gotten rather curious…" Marianne quietly spoke up, her gaze faintly directed at a large portrait hanging in the center of the room. The man bore a long mane of violet hair a shade darker than Bernadetta's, complete with a few loose strands falling along the right side of his face and a thin layer of facial hair surrounding his lips. With his elegant lavender longcoat and sharp pair of silver eyes, it was apparent that the man was an important figure to the Varley manor in some form. "Would I be correct to assume that man in the painting is your father?"

"Actually, that would be my Uncle Abel." Bernadetta shortly corrected the blue haired priestess. "I can't exactly blame you for mistaking him for my f… for Count Varley, though. The two of them were actually twin brothers, after all."

"Ah, yes. I have many fond memories of serving under Lord Abelard. He was… an eccentric individual to say the least, yet he was truly among the kindest souls you could ever hope to meet. He even happened to be the mind responsible for the brew of tea you're enjoying right now." Rowan nostalgically reminisced with a yet unseen expression of wistfulness.

"Yeah… he never came to the manor very often, but I always looked forward to his visits as if they were my own personal holidays. He'd always arrive bearing all sorts of unique gifts from throughout Fódlan, and he'd often inspire me with tales of fantastic heroes and his own travels across the continent…"

"Ah, yes, I can scarcely forget the time Abelard went as far as to set up an elaborate play for one of these tales. He'd cast himself as a brave knight protecting the sorceress Bernadetta from a fearsome dragon… although the dragon actually turned out to be quite real in the end. Why, he was left with no other option but to fend the beast off with nothing more than an antique blade."

"Heh… that was an experience I can never forget." Bernadetta timidly scratched the back of her neck in recollection of the dramatic event.

"Wow… your uncle sounds like a wonderful person, Bernadetta. I think I'd like to meet him personally some-day." Marianne quietly commented in admiration, to which the violet haired recluse lowered her gaze sadly in response.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid it will be quite impossible for you to meet with Lord Abelard. He has… long since passed from this world, years before Lady Bernadetta arrived at the academy." Rowan regretfully informed much to Marianne's visible distress.

"I- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to dredge up any painful memories for you-"

"N- no, it's okay…" Bernadetta swiftly interrupted the remorseful priestess before things could escalate any further. "These aren't painful memories at all. I like looking back at the times I spent with my uncle. I always had better memories of him then… well…"

"The two of you were exceptionally close, weren't you?" Byleth calmly observed, receiving only a silent nod in response.

"Lord Abelard had all the qualities of a fine leader. He was selfless, knowledgeable, outgoing…" Rowan began to recount, adopting a deeply nostalgic expression as he looked up to the portrait of the noble he once served with pride. "I can only imagine whether he'd still be here if he decided against giving up his position for his brother all those years ago…"

As if on cue, a heavy series of footsteps were suddenly heard approaching the dining hall at an uneven pace. With a loud gasp of dread, Bernadetta immediately recognized the source of this sound and hurriedly stood up to hide herself behind Byleth's overcoat in fear.

A large, imposing figure slowly hobbled into the dining hall with an expression of pure apathy that quickly shifted into one of disgust the moment he laid his piercing silver eyes upon the rowdy schoolchildren occupying his dining hall.

"Hmph. Are these children the ones responsible for disturbing my peaceful rest? Ridiculous." the man quietly grumbled in a low, gravelly voice, his every step exuding a commanding presence as he slowly sauntered into the room. He came garbed in a drab, grey waistcoat surrounding a thick, black undershirt bearing the signature violet wings of the Varley family emblem. Indeed, it was clear to everybody present that the disgruntled nobleman standing among them was none other than Allocer von Varley. His hair retained the same length and shade as that of Abelard, albeit significantly more unkempt. Perhaps as a means to differentiate himself from his brother, his face was completely clean-shaven, and the back of his hair was neatly tied up in a simple slipknot ponytail.

The noble's presence seemed to exude an intimidating aura that caused the young students under his gaze to momentarily freeze in their tracks as they returned his stare with a mixed variety of different looks of their own. Adding to this effect were the deep, shadowy circles forming beneath his eyes, a few shades darker than even those of Marianne.

"Am I to believe that my foolish daughter abandoned the class of her homeland for the murky riffraff of the Alliance?" Allocer loudly monologued to nobody in particular. "For Indech's sake, half the class is filled with basic commoners!"

Perhaps driven by the uncomfortable grimaces of his fellow classmates, Lorenz awkwardly cleared his throat and stood from his seat in an effort to offer a hand in greeting to the head of the household. "You must me Count Varley, correct? My name is Lorenz Hellman-"

"Yes, yes, I know who exactly you are." Allocer hurriedly interrupted the Alliance noble with a tone of thinly veiled annoyance. "I recognize the son of Count Gloucester all too well. It seems that fop's atrocious attempt at a hairdo still persists to this day. The man always was a hotheaded braggart." the count visibly glowered, callously refusing to even notice the younger noble's offer of a handshake as he walked past him, leaving Lorenz to linger in place, his mouth agape with an expression of irritation and offense.

"Don't you think it's rude to leave a man hanging when he's actively trying to be polite?!" Leonie loudly protested, but her words evidently fell on deaf ears as Allocer didn't even seem to register the young huntress's remarks in his mind. Instead, he simply chose to continue along his path until Lysithea angrily stood out to block his way with a look of frustration.

"Would it kill you to at least pretend to hear what she just said?" the short-statured mage hotly questioned, her hands firmly crossed around her chest as if she were scolding a child. "It's because of people like you that the nobility has such a bad name!"

"Do you truly have any grounds to speak of nobility, Miss Ordelia? I'm frankly amazed your family still has any influence left to go around after your little scuffle with the Empire." Allocer nonchalantly remarked, eliciting a pained grunt from Lysithea in response. "They must be truly desperate to rely on an unsophisticated child to regain their stature." As the young mage hung her head down in trepidation, the head of the manor opted to circle around her with his hands neatly folded behind his back.

Having heard enough of the count's insults to last a lifetime, Byleth indignantly set out to speak with Allocer himself, with the aggressor's daughter hesitantly following shortly behind, tightly clinging to her professor's back in a desperate effort to minimize her own presence.

"I know you think you're better than us _lowly schoolchildren_ who know nothing of the world around us, but all I see is a pot whining to a gallery full of kettles." Monica loudly taunted the count before Byleth could manage to close the distance to him, standing with one defiant foot raised onto her chair and bearing an unamused, yet mocking expression. Though Count Allocer didn't turn to face the redhead for a response, the brief twinge in his eye made it clear that her words managed to strike a nerve nonetheless.

"Do none of your companions know how to properly hold their tongues, Bernadetta?" the nobleman calmly asked, slowly turning to face Byleth with a furrowed brow. "Get out from behind that human shield of yours! You look more pathetic than usual." Allocer aggressively demanded, his gaze fiercely transfixed on the trembling figure of his daughter with a look of pure disgust as she nervously stuck her head out from behind the safety of her most trusted companion.

"I…" Bernadetta quickly opened her mouth to speak, but the words simply refused to come out, no matter how much she desired to speak her mind.

"Bernadetta can do as she pleases, and I will not tolerate your flagrant disrespect for my students." Byleth sharply spoke up in the younger girl's stead as they both closed the distance between themselves and the displeasured nobleman. The two men stood at similar heights to one another, and while the count appeared to be taller by a single breadth, it hardly stopped the professor from returning his fierce stare with a seemingly tranquil, yet furious look of his own.

"And just who are _you_ supposed to be, exactly?" the count curiously demanded, to which his daughter quickly forced her eyes shut in response. Though Byleth hardly seemed to show any visible reaction to it, it had become abundantly clear that Allocer's breath was imbued with the faint, yet horribly pungent scent of overaged wine. It took no shortage of self-control for Bernadetta to resist the urge to vomit the moment the smell invaded her senses.

"I know your memory has been lapsing in recent days, but this would be Professor Eisner, your daughter's professor and the primary instructor of the Golden Deer house." Rowan swiftly stepped in to explain the situation, to which the count raised a single eyebrow in newfound amusement.

"Ah yes, I remember hearing about this common mercenary Lady Rhea plucked out of the gutter to serve as a last-minute substitute…" Allocer noted, too deep in thought to react to his servant's unsubtle jab towards his memory. "Tell me, Professor. What sort of sob stories has my daughter been spewing to garner sympathy for herself?"

"Please stop…" Bernadetta quietly pleaded in a voice too soft-spoken for her father to notice.

"She's told me enough to know exactly what sort of a man you are." Byleth calmly retorted. "I'll only ask this of you once; you are to stay as far away from my students as humanly possible during our time here. I will not stand for any further harassment against them."

"Oh please, are you truly so gullible as to believe every word out of that girl's mouth?" Allocer confidently asked, letting out a short chuckle at the professor's audacity to make demands of him. "What I do with my daughter is my business, now stand aside."

"If she's you're daughter, shouldn't you be treating her better than _this_?"

"By…" Bernadetta quietly muttered as she placed a hand to her racing heart. Deep down, she was starting to feel a strong urge to shout, yet a light whimper was all her voice could mutter at this point.

"You seem surprisingly keen on defending a girl you've only known for but a few passing moons at best." the count amusingly remarked before taking up a more serious expression. "She's always been a cursed child, you know. I don't know what she's done to beguile you so thoroughly, but know that she'll only lead you to your death if you continue down this path."

"No… no, that's not…!" Bernadetta distressingly blurted out, this time loud enough for her father to faintly pick up on.

"Alec, I think that's quite enough for tonight-" Rowan sternly spoke up, only for his master to quickly silence him with a firm gesture of his hand.

"Come now, Rowan, I'm simply relieving the young professor of his disdainful ignorance. And we still have important matters to discuss on top of that." Allocer indifferently defended himself as his gaze returned to the hunched over figure of his daughter. "Are you done making a fool of yourself, Bernadetta, or has your time at the academy been nothing but a waste?!"

"I've learned more from my experiences at Garreg Mach than I'll ever learn from you." Bernadetta bitterly spat back, briefly dumbfounding her father with her sudden display of boldness.

"Hmph. I see you've at least grown some semblance of a spine while you were away." the count reluctantly observed. "If you've truly learned anything from that academy, then you had best put it to use in the aid of your mother. You've kept her waiting for far too long."

"I know… and we're _all_ here to help her, along with everyone else who's suffering from the plague. You should at least show some gratitude that so many people are willing to offer their assistance for a land that's not even their own."

"Gratitude?" the count repeated, sporting an offended expression as he dramatically raised a hand to his left shoulder. "You lot should be grateful I allowed you to step one foot under my roof! Were it not for the circumstances at hand, I would have had them all tossed out into the chilling rain outside."

"Like you've done to _me_ so many times before?!" Bernadetta challenged, her own temper slowly flaring up with each word.

"Hold your tongue, girl. I will not tolerate you spitting lies in my presence."

"Alec-"

"No, Rowan. This girl is in dire need of relearning respect." Allocer swiftly cut in before his butler could more than a single word in. "You and my brother were always too soft on her, and look where that's gotten him. I will not have my only heir drag our family's name through the dirt."

"You've already done that yourself." Bernadetta piercingly remarked, causing yet another unnatural twinge in her father's eye.

"After all I've done to raise you into a respectable woman, is this how you thank me for my tireless efforts?"

"You've hardly raised me at all, you bastard!"

"Lady Bernadetta, please calm down…!" Rowan urgently pleaded, only for his words of caution to go ignored once again.

"I see how it is… you and that professor of yours have poisoned each other's minds." Allocer sternly noted, his gaze shifting back to Byleth with an unreadable expression. "Don't think I haven't noticed how attached my daughter has gotten to you, mercenary. With my position, I could have you taken away from her in-"

"Don't even think about laying a single hand on him!" Bernadetta furiously snapped, having finally gathered the resolve to step forth and look her father dead in the eye; an effort that was swiftly met with a sudden impact to her cheek from Count Allocer's open palm that sent her collapsing to the floor onto her hands and knees.

Instinctively, the lilac haired girl forced her eyes shut and remained frozen in shock for a few brief moments from the abrupt sensation of pain.

"Whoa, whoa, Teach! Think about what you're doing for a sec!" the familiar voice of Claude suddenly rang through the back of her mind to snap Bernadetta out of her stunned state. When next she opened her eyes, she was aghast, but not overly surprised to find her own blood slowly dripping down from her cheek onto the floor below.

A short glance behind her would reveal the frantic figure of Claude reaching out to physically restrain Byleth, whose hand was hovering dangerously close to the handle of the Sword of the Creator.

"Look, Teach... I'm every bit as pissed as you are, bit this is the last place you'll want to start a scene in!" the Golden Deer leader urgently whispered into his professor's ear in a desperate effort to calm him down.

Utterly mortified by the situation, Bernadetta slowly attempted to stand herself back up, but she quickly froze in her tracks when she looked up to find her father menacingly looking down on her with his hand raised high above his head. This time, however, the count's motion was brought to a grinding halt by the intervention of Rowan, who adeptly circled around his master to seize his hand in a strong vice-like grip before forcefully yanking him away from his inured daughter as if he were disciplining a child.

"Rowan-"

"You should know better than act so barbarically in front of guests, Alec." the butler sharply interrupted, choosing to ignore the obvious wince of pain on his master's face. "Think for a moment. What would Lord Abelard think about this if he were still here?"

"Do not speak my brother's name, Rowan…" Allocer solemnly requested, his voice falling uncharacteristically quiet as his butler continued to maintain a crushing grip on his hand.

"Then I must ask that you compose yourself this instant. And get some more rest. Goddess knows you're in dire need of it." the servant insistently requested as Byleth slowly knelt down to help the count's daughter off the floor.

"I dunno about you, but I'm feeling awfully tempted to slit this guy's throat on the spot." Monica subtly murmured in the professor's ear, having gathered by his side in a concerted effort to help her friend back on her feet.

"That's not exactly helping, Monica…" Claude sighed in disapproval, quickly stepping in to restrain the redhead in a preemptive measure to prevent her from following up on her threat.

"You'll have to get in line first." was Byleth's cold reply while he hurriedly reached into his pockets for a small handkerchief to wipe the blood dripping from the astoundingly deep scratch mark running across his student's face.

"Very well, then…" Count Allocer reluctantly agreed to his butler's wishes as his hand was finally released from the elder's iron grip. "Get one of the maids to clean up this mess, Rowan. And Bernadetta!" the nobleman loudly alerted his still recovering daughter. "You are to come along with Sir Rowan at once. It's time to meet with your mother."

Silently, Bernadetta complied with the man's request with a pained nod, though not before turning to Byleth with an imploring expression. Without the need for another word, the professor readily took his companion's hand allowed her to lead the way to her destination.

"Now just where do you think you're going?" Allocer was quick to question Byleth's decision to come along for the fated meeting.

"Is there another issue I should be aware of, Varley?" the teal haired professor instantly shot back with another fierce glare.

"This is a family matter, mercenary. You have no place in it whatsoever."

"Well, he's family to me." Bernadetta defiantly spoke up, prompting a loud apathetic scoff from her father in response.

"Hmph. Completely preposterous…" Allocer wearily shook his head in disapproval. "Fine, then. Do as you please. I just want you out my sight as soon as possible..." the nobleman bitterly remarked before one of the manor's maids arrived to escort him out of the dining hall.

"Come along, then, both of you." Rowan let out a tired sigh as he watched his master awkwardly hobble out into the halls. "We'd best not keep Lady Theresa waiting for much longer."

* * *

The trek to Countess Varley's chamber was shrouded in uncomfortable silence as the triad of as Bernadetta nervously followed her faithful servant through the familiar halls of her old dwelling. Having Byleth literally in tow certainly was certainly a boon to calm her racing nerves, but it still did little to halt the whirlwind of dark thoughts bouncing around in her mind.

"I… can hardly apologize enough for my master's behavior earlier." Rowan's remorseful voice eventually broke through the silence surrounding the triad as they neared the end of their lengthy route. "Count Allocer has grown much more agitated than usual since the day his day his wife grew ill."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Sir Rowan. I'm not the type to place guilt onto others for the actions of their superiors." Byleth unhesitantly spoke up to reassure the aging butler.

"I certainly appreciate the positive sentiment, Professor Eisner…" the servant returned the younger man's words of kindness with a faint smile of gratitude. "But I'm afraid that couldn't be any further from the truth. At the end of the day, I only have myself to blame for the man my master has become…"

Bernadetta simply breathed a heavy sigh of apprehension upon hearing the butler's lament. Truth be told, she knew very little of her father's past, other than the fact that Rowan had known him and her Uncle Abel since they were children. It certainly stood to reason that the nobleman could have been a vastly different person in ages past… yet the thought that her father could have once been a kind man like her uncle only served to spark a light feeling of rage within the young Ms. Varley, as she'd only ever known the count as a cruel tyrant who'd dedicated himself to ensuring her everlasting misery.

Her attention was soon drawn in by a faint, stunned gasp from Byleth, whose gaze was focused on a seemingly innocuous wall off to the side. A single glance in that direction would reveal a rather sizeable indentation on a wall right next to an old, worn down door loosely hanging open on its equally eroded hinges. It was a sight that brought back many bad memories for Bernadetta.

"That… would be the mark I left after you know who threw me into this wall headfirst…" the lavender haired girl timidly explained, causing Rowan to grimace in shame the moment he took notice of the makeshift landmark.

"And… that door…?" Byleth reluctantly asked, staring into the mysterious darkened room that lay beyond with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"I'd… rather not talk about that room." Bernadetta shared in her professor's discomfort with a quiet whimper. "That mark in the wall was probably the least of my worries, though. I could go on all day about all the ridiculous punishments I was dealt for all the little mistakes I've made over the years… but Sir Rowan was always there to help pick me up along the way too. He was almost more of a personal doctor than a butler to me at times, and I'm still grateful for that."

"I can't say I'm proud to bear such a title, but I can hardly deny its accuracy either." Rowan hesitantly admitted. "Since you've brought the topic up, may I ask how the scratch on your cheek is feeling before you come to face your mother? Just say the word, and I'll patch that right up for you."

"It's okay, you don't need to do that. The pain's stopped a long while ago."

"So I see. In which case, your mother's chambers should be just down the hall from here." The butler calmly informed as he prepared to stroll off in the opposite direction. "Professor Eisner. If you should ever need my assistance, please don't hesitate to ask, and the same goes for the students under your care. I can hardly thank you enough for looking after Lady Bernadetta and furthering her growth in my absence."

"Think nothing of it, Sir Rowan. I've only ever done my duty as an instructor and nothing more."

"I certainly admire your sense of humility, Professor. I'm sure Lord Abelard would have loved to meet with you if he were still around." Rowan happily imagined. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll need to go check up on Count Allocer."

With no obstacles remaining to delay her reunion with her mother, Bernadetta let out a quiet sigh as Rowan promptly disappeared into the manor's labyrinthine halls.

"I can certainly understand if you're nervous about this."

"Well yeah, it's been at least seven years since I've last seen her… I hardly even know where to begin." Bernadetta shakily confirmed her companion's thoughts as she shyly lingered in the middle of the hall, twiddling her fingers in anticipation. "I really meant it when I said you were like family to me, you know. Introducing you to my mother is like… well…" the violet haired recluse attempted to explain, her cheeks flaring up as she failed to find the proper words for herself. "N- never mind that. I can always just make everything up as we go along… it wouldn't be the first time for me."

"Heh. It's perfectly alright if you don't know what to expect from the future, Bernie." Byleth coolly advised as his shorter companion hastily dragged him down along the length of the hallway. "All you need to do is speak from the heart, and I'm sure the right words will flow naturally to you. Though I do realize how ironic this sounds coming from someone who lacks heartbeat…"

"Thanks, By… I really don't know what I'd do without you." Bernadetta gratefully murmured as the pair swiftly closed in on the elegantly designed door leading to her mother's personal chambers. "Heartbeat or no, you were still the most wonderful soul I've ever met."

With her mind fully set and her accompanying pillar of resolve standing tall, Bernadetta confidently opened up the door to her mother's chamber. The scene awaiting her within, however, was nothing short of unexpected.

"M- mom…?" the young Ms. Varley exclaimed in surprise once she set eyes on the frail figure of Theresa von Varley weakly sitting up at the back of her bed with a small book in hand. Clothed in a simple light blue nightgown, her deep, golden eyes immediately lit up in surprise the moment she heard her daughter's voice.

"Oh, Bernie… is that really you…?" the older woman hopefully asked, a warm smile spreading across her lips as the visiting pair slowly entered the room. The countess's condition was undoubtedly poor, but her overall appearance was just as Bernadetta last remembered her… albeit with a single, massively apparent exception.

"Yeah, mom. It's been far too long… and your hair…" Bernadetta muttered in surprise, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of the long, deathly white strands decorating her head where a more vibrant display of bright violet used to reside. The implications of which were nothing short of horrifying to Bernadetta.

"Yes, this was certainly an unpleasant revelation for me too. I'm not even half as old as Sir Rowan yet…" Theresa heartily joked at her own condition before taking notice of the teal haired professor at her bedside. "Oh? And just who is this young fellow supposed to be?"

"I would be Byleth Eisner. Professor of the Golden Deer house, which as you may have heard, your daughter had decided to transfer to earlier in the school year. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Varley."

"Let's just say he's someone very special to me…" Bernadetta shyly added, eliciting a knowing smile from her mother in response.

"Ah, I see, I see... My, just look at how you've grown, Bernie…" the countess proudly remarked as she eagerly looked over her daughter from head to toe.

"D- do you really think I've grown that much?" the younger Varley nervously asked. "I'm sure I've still got plenty of room left to develop…"

"Well, the fact that you've stopped slouching so heavily should at least speak volumes for you, shouldn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess that counts for something... I've even made some friends too while I was at it."

"Oh, that's wonderful news, Bernie. I'm glad to hear you've been expanding your horizons like this- or expanding your horizontals, as your Uncle Abel might put it." Theresa slyly added with a nostalgic chuckle, only for her smile to quickly fade when she finally took notice of the prominent scratch that had formed across Bernadetta's cheek. "Oh no… don't tell me you've gotten into another scuffle with your father, Bernie…"

"Miss Varley, your daughter wasn't responsible for this." Byleth immediately spoke up in his companion's defense as she fell into a brief bout of stunned silence at her mother's words. "You can ask anyone who was present at the scene, even Sir Rowan, and they'll all tell you that your husband was the one who instigated this."

"Even so, you should know better than to do anything to provoke your father's anger, Bernie." Theresa lightly scolded, much to the younger girl's further humiliation. "Allocer has been especially on edge as of late… with my sickness and the horrible plague rolling over our territory, he's been up to his nose in all sorts of plights for the longest time."

An unexpected feeling of disappointment washed over Bernadetta as she solemnly forced her eyes shut with a dismayed sigh. How was it that her mother could show more concern over her husband's everlasting anger issues over the blatant fact that he'd directly harmed her once again…?

"Well then, is there anything you can tell us about this plague?" Byleth promptly asked, having quickly taken notice of his companion's inner distress. It was nothing more than a haphazard attempt to change the subject to something less personal, but it was all he could do to ease Bernadetta's emotional burden at this point.

"Ah yes, that's exactly what your class has come to our land to investigate, correct? I'm afraid there isn't much I can tell you that you about my own condition that you haven't already heard from my husband's letter." Theresa disappointingly admitted. "Although it seems the other cases popping up around the land are far more extreme than what I have experienced. There have been far too many reports of people suddenly collapsing on the streets just the same as I had fainted in Enbarr. Stranger still are the cases of people disappearing without a trace for days at a time... some suddenly returned to their homes as if nothing happened to them, but others still were never heard from again. These are frightening times for all who reside in this land, and I fear they're only bound to grow worse as time passes on…"

"Do you have any idea what could have caused any of this…?"

"I'm afraid not… I certainly have my theories, but nothing concrete enough to lead to a definitive conclusion…" Theresa gravely admitted, falling into a brief loss for words as she began to clutch her chest in a mild fit of pain.

"If you can't answer that, then can I at least ask you a question of my own?" Bernadetta suddenly spoke up, a dark expression forming across her face as her mother weakly nodded in acceptance of her request.

"Yes, anything, dear… Anything at all…"

"Why does my so-called father hate me so much?" the younger Varley sharply asked, eliciting a pained grunt from her mother in reaction. "I've asked you this same question so many times since I was a child, and all you've ever done was make excuses for him. I know you're aware of all the things he's done to me over the years… so why did you allow my pain to go on for so long?"

"You don't know the full gravity of our situation, Bernie…"

"No, of course I don't know!" Bernadetta loudly snapped. "I'm tired of being kept in the dark, mother! Is there anything keeping you from simply telling me the truth?!"

"Bernadetta…" Byleth slowly reached out to calm his companion's overflowing emotions, but his words quickly fell on deaf ears as Bernadetta didn't even turn to face him.

"Your father has had a hard life… one harder than you could possibly-"

"So what?! Is that supposed to justify him shunting all his frustrations onto a defenseless little girl who'd done nothing to wrong him? Have you ever seen me looking to actively harm others just to take some semblance of revenge?! " Bernadetta furiously cut in, refusing to accept her mother's halfhearted explanations. "My birth was a crime to that bastard, mother! He's told me himself more times than I'd care to remember!"

"I dare not ask for your forgiveness, only your understanding… and I can only beg that you do the same for your father as well."

"What's there to understand about you leaving me to be tortured for years on end while you sit back and enjoy the cushy life of a noble without looking back?!" Bernadetta raised her voice even further, causing tears to start to stream down her eyes with every word she roared out.

"I understand the grievances that you and so many others have against your father, I truly do…" Theresa empathetically started. "Allocer can be rude, quick to anger, and horribly unpleasant to anyone who even slightly displeases him… but there is still a good man lurking deep within him!"

"You're delusional if think there's any semblance of goodness within that monster! I can't believe you'd still defend him after so long…" Bernadetta continued her long suppressed tirade, but her anger came to an abrupt halt the moment she heard a pained fit of coughing from her mother, who had grown too strained to even form another coherent word in reply.

Horrified with herself for failing to notice the signs of her mother's worsening condition throughout their one-sided argument, Bernadetta raised a hand to her mouth in shock until one of the manor's maids shortly rushed into the room to check on the countess's condition.

"I- I'm sorry…"

"Lady Bernadetta…" the maid urgently called out to the lilac haired girl with an alarmed expression that made it perfectly clear she'd caught wind of her argument with her mother. "I must ask that you and your guest leave right away while I tend to your mother."

"I understand. We'll leave you to your duty." Byleth was quick to comply, as he calmly took Bernadetta by the hand and directed her out of the chamber, all while the sole Varley heir dejectedly looked back at her mother's ongoing coughing fit with an expression of abject guilt.

Once the pair shut the door behind them, Bernadetta found herself hunched over in emotional exhaustion as she let out a deep, regretful breath.

"I'm sorry you had to see all of that, By… I just couldn't stop myself…"

"You've kept these feelings of resentment bottled up for far too long. The way I see it, it's only natural that you'd lose control of yourself like that." Byleth attempted to reassure his remorseful companion, as he placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"You're right, but…" Bernadetta slowly shook her head in disagreement, but her thoughts were quickly cut short by the booming sound of heavy footsteps heading in her direction. Much to her terror, Allocer von Varley was rushing over to his wife's room with a single maid in tow, frighteningly unhinged look spread across his face as he stopped to look down on the pair lingering just outside the door.

"You two…" the count began to ask in a quieter voice than Bernadetta would have expected. "I trust you've discovered some sort of cure for my wife's condition?"

"I'm afraid we don't have nearly enough information on this disease to even consider a cure for it." Byleth calmly informed much to the nobleman's visible disappointment.

"Then you're just as useless to me as ever. Now get out of my way!"

Knowing better than to question the man's urgent demand, Byleth and Bernadetta hastily obeyed the order, allowing the count to angrily stomp past them and slam the door behind him with a furious grunt.

"…Let's just go, By; before someone else catches us out here." Bernadetta exhaustedly requested, her heart sent racing from the abrupt arrival of her father on the scene. Wordlessly, the professor agreed to take the violet haired girl's hand and walk her back down the hall they came from, with no real destination in mind other than to gain as much distance from her mother's chambers as possible, only coming to a stop after rounding several corners along the way.

Now confident that the room of her fateful confrontation was well out of sight, Bernadetta let out another deep breath and looked up to her companion with an understandably tired expression.

"Byleth… I want you to sleep with me tonight." she bluntly asked, causing her professor's eyes to briefly widen in surprise at the unexpected boldness of her request.

"Bernadetta… this can't be the best place for that sort of thing… not to mention-"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that!" the lilac haired recluse hurriedly interrupted in a hasty effort to clear up her intentions. "At least… not just yet, anyway…" she slyly added to herself in a voice that went unheard by her alarmed companion. "It's just… I'd feel a lot safer if I could spend the night alongside someone I trust… and I want to be able to wake up to the comfort of someone I can feel at peace with…"

"Are you absolutely sure…?" Byleth anxiously asked, receiving a firm nod in response. I see… if my company will bring you any sort of comfort, then I'd be happy to oblige." the professor uneasily gave in to the girl's response, to which Bernadetta flashed a grateful, misty eyed smile in response.

With nary another word, Bernadetta eagerly took up the hand of the target of her affections and proceeded to guide him to the long abandoned, yet still familiar sanctuary of her old room.

* * *

Byleth laid wide awake during the early hours of the morning as Bernadetta peacefully slumbered just off to his side. He certainly wasn't expecting his trip to Varley territory to result in him spending the night on a girl's bed, yet here he was, curiously examining the sleeping form of the petite, violet haired girl sleeping next to him as he tried to to make heads and tails of their mutual situation.

_**"This is a rather compromising position you've found yourself in, is it not?"**_ the incarnation of Sothis lying within the professor's mind amusingly spoke up. _**"In fact, I believe this sort of incident is a completely foreign experience to you as well. I can only imagine the look on Count Varley's face if he were to come across you at this very moment."**_

_"I'm not so naive that I cannot connect the dots between Bernadetta's behavior around me. To be frank, I'm completely astonished."_

_**"As am I. Just what in the world could this girl have possibly seen in you?"**_ Sothis easily shared in her companion's confusion.

_ "I don't know how far this relationship went in her time, yet it's clear to see that I'm somebody more important than life itself to her..." _Byleth analytically noted as he continued to watch over the girl's peaceful rest._ "What I first thought of as a simple crush steadily blossomed into something much more sincere over time... she's grown so much more openly affectionate with me over the past couple of weeks..."_

_**"I am obviously not one for romantic advice, but it is plain as day that the girl sees the Byleth she knew and loved within you, regardless of whether or not you share his memories or experiences."**_

_"Indeed..."_ Byleth readily agreed with the Goddess's observations._ "I cannot deny that I've felt a similar connection to her, yet it's not as clear-"_ the professor continued to reflect, but his train of thought was brought to a screeching halt by the sudden impact of Bernadetta's fists against his chest.

The lilac haired girl was clearly still asleep, and the impact was too light to have any chance of harming him, yet for one reason or another, Bernadetta had thrust her arms into Byleth's chest in a way that resembled a sharp stabbing motion... and tears were beginning to uncontrollably fall from her eyes as a result of it. Her breathing had advanced from labored gasps to sputtering sobs, and her face had adopted a heavily distressed expression as she slowly uncurled her hands from Byleth's chest.

"She's having a nightmare... I've never seen one so severe in my life." Byleth muttered aloud, clearly shaken by the girl's state of sheer distress.

_**"Don't just lie there like a lost puppy! Hurry up and rouse her from her sleep before her condition grows any worse!"**_ Sothis urgently warned, to which Byleth unhesitantly complied by placing both hands on the panicked girl's shoulders and gently pulling her closer to his own body.

Within moments, Bernadetta's eyes shot open with a horribly anguished cry, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around Byleth's chest the moment she noticed his presence.

"You're still here... you're still here... you're still here..." Bernadetta frantically repeated to herself, clearly still rattled from the traumatic events of her latest nightmare.

"It's going to be okay..." Byleth soothingly reassured as he slowly ran a hand through his companion's fluffy hair. "That was only a bad dream, and nothing more. Nothing is going to hurt you under my watch."

"But it felt so real... and that's not what I'm afraid of..." the violet haired girl slowly shook her head in denial. "I've... always had these sorts of lifelike dreams for as long as I could remember, but they weren't always bad." Bernadetta shakily attempted to explain. "They were like flashbacks into all of my most cherished memories. I could re-experience small parts of my childhood, I could see my uncle again whenever I wanted, and I could even relive the memories I had of you in my old time..."

Bernadetta paused to let out another stifled sob, all while Byleth dutifully remained silent, fully intent on soaking up every last detail of her story.

"I really missed all the peaceful nights I spent by your side... the moments of passion, the little talks we had to take our minds off the events of each day, the sensation of waking up to find you staring right back at me..." Bernadetta's frown steadily formed into a nostalgic smile that seemed to send a metaphorical fist driving into Byleth's heart. "I don't know why, but my dreams just haven't been the same lately. I've been having so many nightmares, and I've seen glimpses of these strange memories that I know I've never seen before... I swear, I could never live with myself if I were to murder you in cold blood, especially with your own weapon..."

"If you're sure you've never experienced those memories, then they've never happened, and they never will happen." Byleth collectedly explained, in spite of the uneasy feeling he sensed as he listened to these experiences.

"I know, but..." Bernadetta let out another sigh of dismay as she looked over to a nearby window to find the slightest hint of morning light creeping into her room. "I'd give up anything to just... make the present stand still forever. If I could just stay like this with you... without worrying about the past or future... time always has a way of escaping me, no matter how desperately I try to hold onto it..."

"I'm afraid not even Sothis has the power to halt the flow of time permanently." Byleth sadly noted before coming to a sudden realization. "However..." With a comforting smile, Byleth promptly raised an arm into the air and filled Bernadetta's vision with a familiar flash of colors with a simple gesture of his hand. "I can certainly give you more time to rest."

Surprised, Bernadetta's gaze returned to her window to find that the sky outside had magically grown darker than it was just a moment again. Instinctively, the girl found herself overwhelmed with joy and leaned in to plant a sweet, grateful kiss onto Byleth's lips. "Thank you so much... I can't believe I never thought of this before..."

_**"I would call this a flagrant abuse of my power..."**_ the Sothis within Byleth's mind began to comment. _**"But I suppose it was for a good cause. Just try not to abuse this newfound discovery too often. We still have a mission to accomplish, remember."**_

_"Of course... yet it's certainly worth the effort just to see that radiant smile of hers..."_ Byleth mentally noted, silently gazing upon Bernadetta's face as she attempted to hold back a giggle.

"Heh. The Sothis in my mind thinks you're spoiling me." Bernadetta happily noted, sporting a more jovial expression than she had when she first woke up.

"Is that a bad thing, or-"

"Not at all. I'm enjoying this more than you could possibly imagine." the girl happily cut in as she found herself getting lost within the captivating sea-blue eyes of the man she loved. "Just... keep staring into my eyes like you always used to..." Bernadetta quietly requested as she gently ran a hand across Byleth's cheek.

Though a hard day's worth of work was sure to await the two of them the next day, the only goal on Bernadetta's mind at this moment was to relish every last second she had to spend with her fated partner. It was a goal that Byleth was more than happy to assist her with.

* * *

**Hoo boy... my own indecisiveness (or straight-up writer's block) is never fun to deal with, but I can only hope I've managed to make something special out of this long anticipated chapter, especially on this special day of the year.**


	19. Chapter 18: Rumors of a Witch

Bernadetta let out a contented yawn as she slowly sat up from her bed to stretch her weary limbs. It was hardly an exaggeration to say that she hadn't received such a good night's sleep in ages until now.

"Do you think you've rested enough to handle the coming day now, Bernie?" Byleth patiently asked, receiving an affirmatory nod from the still drowsy girl in response.

"_**Oh, by all means, this display has long since overstayed its welcome."**_ a fatigued Sothis strongly complained from within the depths of the awakened Miss Varley's mind as the latter thankfully shook her head in denial.

"_I only brought us back a few more hours_…" Bernadetta sheepishly defended her impulsive action as the object of her affections promptly rose up from his resting place.

"_**This mutual sentiment between the two of you is sweet and all, but must I remind you that I've left with no choice but to come along for the ride as well? Especially when you decide to call upon my powers without a moment's notice?"**_ the Goddess hotly protested, to which Bernadetta let out an amused giggle at the tiny deity's frustrations.

"_Look, I said I was sorry, alright?" _

"Thanks for sticking with me throughout the night, By…" the lavender haired recluse looked up at her professor with an expression of immense gratitude. "It really means a lot to me…"

"Think nothing of it. I'm just happy I could be here to support you when you needed it most." Byleth humbly waved off the girl's fervent praises before taking up a faintly troubled look. "…I trust you didn't suffer from any further nightmares last night?"

"Nope, not at all. I slept like a baby thanks to you. Did something happen while I was asleep…?" Bernadetta hesitantly asked. She could hardly tell if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not, but there appeared to be the slightest hint of a dried tear on her companion's cheek. It was an unwelcome sign, to say the least. As if her parents have not given her enough to worry about already. "You're looking at me like you've just seen a ghost."

"Ah, it's nothing… please, forget I said anything just now…" the teal haired professor muttered under his breath as he turned his attention to the door of their shared bedroom. "…I suppose it would reflect poorly upon us if someone were to catch us departing your room together at such an early hour…"

"Uh, yeah…" Bernadetta agreed with the ex-mercenary's observations as she adopted a troubled frown of realization. "We'd have all sorts of nasty rumors spreading around if that ever happened…"

"In which case, I should probably depart early to deflect any potential suspicions against us. I do have some preparations to make for today's investigations, after all." Byleth calmly observed as he proceeded to make his way out into the hall. "We should still have plenty of time before we begin our conference with the rest of the class, so feel free to-" the professor began to convey, only for his explanation to be cut short when his lilac haired companion suddenly rushed out from behind to envelop his body in one last tight embrace. Though, perhaps this embrace was more of an unintentional tackle than a hug, as the impact had nearly sent the pair clumsily tumbling to the ground.

"_**You truly are as insatiable as ever…"**_ Sothis vexingly muttered as her former vessel found himself wordlessly glued to the spot for what seemed like an eternity.

"Er, sorry… I probably shouldn't keep you here for too long, huh?" Bernadetta timidly spoke up after some time, all while Byleth awkwardly refrained from turning to face the equally flustered Miss Varley. "I don't know what's bothering you… but I'm always willing to lend an ear if you have any concerns weighing you down. You've already done the same for me more times than I can count."

"Indeed…" Byleth quietly mumbled as the younger student slowly released his waist from her deceptively strong grasp. "I trust you recall where we're scheduled to meet, correct? I don't want you arriving late." he uncertainly asked in a weak effort to reign in the discussion at hand, receiving a confirmatory grunt in return. "So long as that's clear… I should go."

Taking a moment to clear his throat, Byleth abruptly retreated through the bedroom door, leaving Bernadetta to nervously fidget in place; clearly still lost in thought from the tender, artificially extended night she'd just spent with her heart's desire.

"_**The more things change, the more they stay the same…" **_Sothis keenly observed as her violet haired host slowly sat back onto her old bed in a moment of self-reflection.

"_It's… nice to relive some of my happier experiences amidst all these drastic changes; to be able to take a break from reality... I'd probably spend the entire week wallowing in those memories if I had the chance, but I know that's no longer a valid option." _

"_**I suppose it's only natural that you would yearn for these rare moments of solace." **_the Goddess murmured in understanding._** "Byleth was much the same in our original time."**_

"_He was…?"_

"_**Why, of course. He would often spend several nights' worth of time simply lingering in bed by your side, taking comfort in your presence for as long as my powers would allow."**_

"He really valued me that much…" Bernadetta muttered aloud, a tearfully nostalgic smile faintly forming across her lips as she clutched a hand to her unsteady heart. _"But if we can still pick up from where we left off, then…"_ the girl's words trailed off, leaving the pair in eerily uncomfortable silence until Sothis grimly spoke up once more.

"_**To be completely blunt, I've no idea if that is even possible-"**_

"_Of course it's possible!"_ Bernadetta angrily cut the Goddess's words short, taking a moment to calm her nerves with a strained sigh before continuing. _"I know he doesn't share any of the memories we made in our future, but he's still the same Byleth to me. You've seen it yourself last night, didn't you? Sure, he's a little less emotive than his future self, yet he's still every bit as kind and loving as I remember…!"_

"_**For your sake, I can only pray that you are correct…"**_

"_I know I'm right. I can make him remember everything, and we'll make up for all the time we've lost." _Bernadetta grimly muttered, almost as if she were trying to convince herself that she was correct. _"But then…_ _how did you know about any of our nighttime rituals? Was your consciousness even intact during the war?"_

"_**I may have been dormant at the time, but I was still relatively cognitive of my surroundings all the same. I shared the same heart and body with your professor, and all the different sensations that came along with it, just as I inhabit yours today. Of course, that also means I was quite privy to your more intimate moments-"**_

"_Okay, I do NOT need to know any of that!"_ Bernadetta frantically interrupted before her divine companion could go into any further detail. Fully flustered, the reclusive student hastily rose from her seat and headed out to the wooden barrier barring her from the outside world to begin the day properly. _"That should be enough idling for now. We've got a lot of things to take care of today, and the sooner we finish, the better."_

With an emboldened sense of determination and an almost literal spring in her step, Bernadetta confidently reached out and swung her bedroom door open with all her might… where she was shortly met with a sudden, unexpected crashing sound and a familiar yelp of pain from the other side.

Understandably taken by surprise, the young Varley quickly darted out of her room to find a familiar redheaded figure writhing on the floor, clasping her hands to her face in an obvious display of pain.

"Ugh, not this again…" Bernadetta shook her head in aggravation before turning back the clock a few precious seconds to spare Monica the pain of a door slamming into her head.

This time making sure to open the door as gently as possible, the already miffed Bernadetta was hardly surprised to hear a jovial, teasing greeting the moment she set foot outside.

"Ooh, you've been a _naughty_ girl, Bernie!" Monica quietly peeped, playfully poking a finger to the violet haired recluse's forehead which only served to irritate her further.

"What are you going on about this time?" Bernadetta flatly asked, taking a single large step away from the redhead in a tired attempt to reclaim at least some of her personal space before adopting an expression of stunned realization. "Oh, dear Goddess… how long were you standing outside my room…?"

"Long enough to catch you snuggling up with your special someone-" the Black Eagle student casually began to clarify, only for a flustered Bernadetta to hurriedly place a hand over her mouth and pin her up against the wall before she could finish.

Unconcerned by the panicking Varley's sudden act of aggression as the latter girl frantically scanned the hallways around her in search of any other potential eavesdroppers, Monica nonchalantly removed Bernadetta's hand from her mouth to further her own defense. "Hey, relax Bernie, I'm no snitch. Hell, I'm impressed you managed to score some action for yourself in such a short amount of time."

"I- I know what it looked like, but I swear we didn't take things that far-"

"No, no, it's alright. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Monica reassured, which only ended up further flustering her unwilling schoolmate. "It's not like I was _intending_ to spy on you this time. I just happened to catch a glimpse of your private time while I was climbing along the outside of the manor."

"…Do I even want to know why you were scaling the walls of this place in the dead of night?" Bernadetta asked, loosening her grip on the subject of her annoyance as she stared at the redhead with a faint look of disbelief.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough." Monica vaguely replied with a dubious wink as she abruptly set off down the hall, leaving Bernadetta to wallow in her own confusion as she looked on with weary eyes.

"_I really don't get this girl…"_ Bernadetta mentally groaned in dismay, cradling a hand to her forehead in apprehension of the exceptionally long day that was sure to await her.

* * *

Of all the potential horrors that awaited her, the thought of having to put up with her father for another day filled Bernadetta with an overpowering sense of dismay. With that thought in mind, it certainly came as a relief to the count's reclusive daughter when she found no trace of the man in her class's makeshift meeting room. The heavy sigh of relief she let out at this small stroke hardly went noticed by the students already present, who all looked up to silently greet her with a handful of welcoming nods.

"Er, I'm not late, am I?"

"No, we're just about to get started, actually. Though we do seem to have a more egregious straggler on our hands today…" Lorenz drowsily noted, scoffing in irritation from the conspicuous absence of Claude from the table.

"Ah, I'm sure those two will catch up with us sooner or later. Why don't you take a seat, Bernie? I've saved a spot just for you." Monica earnestly offered, gesturing to an empty chair that just happened to lie in between herself and Byleth.

The knowing smile beaming in her direction was undoubtedly unnerving, yet Bernadetta knew better than to openly refuse such a kind offer. With a renewed feeling of mental fatigue, the girl humbly took up the vacant seat that awaited her, though not without taking a moment to subtly move the chair closer to Byleth. Monica couldn't help letting out an amused chuckle at the thinly veiled gesture, much to her unwitting friend's embarrassment.

"Well then, if our humble house leader won't be joining us any time soon, I suppose we'll just have to start the briefing without him." Alois casually stated as he unfolded a large, detailed map of the Varley region and spread it across the table for all those present to see. "Professor, if you would kindly-" the knight requested, only for his words to be cut short by the timely emergence of the missing Claude.

"Ah, speak of the devil; How kind of you to finally grace us with your presence." Lorenz smarmily commented, to which the house leader replied with a mocking bow.

"Say now, did you happen to find Count Varley while you were busy wandering about? I don't think anyone here's seen him all morning." Hilda curiously asked. The mere mention of her father's name was enough to make Bernadetta instinctively tense up, though her racing nerves were shortly settled when Claude briefly flashed a confident grin in her direction.

"Oh, I'm afraid the good count won't be able to join us today. You see, he apparently gulped down a questionable blend of tea last night, and well…." Claude proudly proclaimed, leaning forward to shift his gaze to Monica, who returned the Golden Deer student's look with a mischievous grin of her own. "If my calculations are correct, he should be vomiting into a toilet as we speak."

"Well now, there's a thought I can scarcely _stomach!_" Alois lightly joked, eliciting a chorus of pained groans from the students and knights gathered around him.

"My, that sounds very unpleasant… perhaps I could relieve him of his-"

"Don't even bother, Flayn." Monica sharply interrupted before the young priestess could finish her offer. "He can get over it on his own."

"How interesting… I believe I may be willing to overlook your tardiness today, Claude." Byleth amusingly declared, having turned his gaze to find a clear look of relief washing over Bernadetta's face.

"Oh? I don't think I did anything to deserve such praise, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth." Claude humbly replied, the mischievous smile on his face never fading as he made his way over to his assigned seat.

"I suppose there's nothing to be done for it. So long as everybody is finally gathered here, would you kindly begin our briefing, Professor?" Alois requested once again, receiving a simple nod from his teal haired compatriot in return.

"Very well. As I'm sure you are all aware, a mysterious plague has swept across the territory of House Varley." Byleth coolly explained, the eyes of his students all firmly focused on him as he slowly rose up from his seat. "The origin of this disease is unknown, and the symptoms have varied widely from one case to another. Numerous casualties have already risen across the land, more people are becoming bedridden with each passing day, and a few towns have even given reports of their crops mysteriously withering up and dying, but there is a single, prominent trait that links all the victims of this outbreak together: the formation of a sickly white shade of hair, all traces of pigment having somehow vanished overnight."

Bernadetta felt a chill run down her spine upon learning of this discovery. She had already seen the plague's effects for herself when she met with her mother the night before, and if the mortified expression on Lysithea's face was anything to go by, then it was all too clear that dark magic was at play here.

"For now, our primary objective will be to disperse across the various settlements of the region, collecting information as we go and delivering whatever aid we can to the afflicted." Alois added, taking a short pause to clear his throat. "Our investigations are scheduled to last throughout the week, but we can at least take solace in the fact that, for once, your mission is one of peace. There should be no threat of conflict while we're all out on our investigations."

"Bah. What a drag." Monica complained, no doubt disappointed from the lack of any promised bloodshed compared to her previous outings with the Deer.

"Although there have been some troubling rumors running rampant as of late. We don't exactly know if these reports hold any merit, but…"

"Wh- what sorts of rumors are you talking about?" Bernadetta reluctantly asked, recognizing the familiar look of unease on the professor's face all too well. "This is the first time I've heard of them."

"Ah, I'm sure that's nothing more than old wives' tale, Professor." Alois heartily commented with a dismissive wave of his hand. "In these troubled times, it's hardly surprising that the people's frightened minds would come up with such a tall tale."

"Even still, if reports from the servants are anything to go by, there have been numerous sightings of an unknown figure-the Witch of Pestilence, as it's come to be known as-prowling the lands and abducting unsuspecting innocents, day after day." Byleth warily described, as he delicately turned his eyes to focus on Bernadetta. "Make no mistake, there _have _been mysterious disappearances cropping up throughout the region. Countess Varley told me as much herself. Is it any coincidence that these same folks fell victim to the plague not long afterward?"

"I understand your concerns, Professor, but I must assure you, your fears are fully unwarranted. Why, I'm sure the absence of evidence surrounding these abductions should be more than enough to cast a _spell of doubt_ over these stories, eh?" Alois confidently joked in a lighthearted attempt to put his teal haired associate at ease, much to the continued chagrin of the students and knights under his command.

"_**This situation is beginning to feel eerily reminiscent of the tragedy that occurred at Remire Village..."**_

"_First the Death Knight, and now a Pestilence Witch? I have a really bad feeling about this..." _Bernadetta mentally shared in Sothis's concern. Between the widespread whispers of this mysterious witch and the thinly vague look of apprehension in her professor's eyes, the young Varley's situation was growing more uncertain by the second. _"What could By be trying to hide from me… and why would he even feel the need to? I haven't seen him look this troubled since…"_

"Now then, if we may move on to everybody's assigned parties..." the booming voice of Alois suddenly rang through the distracted recluse's ears like a whistle, easily snapping her out of her train of thought. "Bernadetta, you will be accompanying Flayn, Monica, and Lysithea to the nearby village of Weiler."

"I eagerly look forward to working with the three of you today!" Flayn happily chimed in.

"Likewise…" Lysithea unenthusiastically muttered, casting a thinly veiled look of scorn in Monica's direction, who innocently returned the gesture with a cheerful wave of her hand.

"Looks like we're gonna be partners again, eh Bernie? Isn't that great?" the redhead asked, playfully nudging her schoolmate's shoulder with an excited grin.

"Yeah, I figured as much." Bernadetta indifferently shrugged. "I'm just glad the professor will be coming along with us too-"

"No, I'm quite afraid we have other arrangements in mind for your professor, Bernadetta." Alois's next words echoed throughout the room, practically slashing through the girl's hopeful thoughts in an instant.

"Wh- what..?"

"Our numbers are stretched uncomfortably thin as it is, you see; there has been a particularly alarming outbreak of victims off to the east, near Gronder Field, and we're making that one of our priority destinations."

"Is there any way I could convince you to reconsider our assigned parties?" Byleth urgently spoke up, much to the surprise of the already perplexed recluse seated next to him.

"We've been over this before, Professor. We can't allow any of the students to accompany you on your mission, for it is strictly confidential." Alois sternly refused with a solemn shake of his head before leaning forward to peer into his colleague's troubled eyes with a comforting grin. "You didn't hear this from me, but Seteth doesn't trust you being anywhere near his beloved sister. That's all a load of hogwash as far as I'm concerned, but rest assured, Flayn and her companions should remain perfectly safe under the watch of my most trusted knights. You'll have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"_**Gronder Field, you say… what horrible secrets could the church have to hide from prying eyes this time?"**_

"_Whatever it is, it's clearly got By worked up… I just wish there was something I could do to support him…" _Bernadetta silently lamented, sympathizing with the ex-mercenary's unseen plight as the sound of Lysithea's impatient footsteps rapidly approached her.

"Let's just get this over with as soon as we can. You can waste time staring down at your feet _after _we've returned from our mission."

"Aw, what's the rush, Lissie?" Monica curiously replied. "Weiler's like the closest town to the manor! Do you have some sort of secret tryst you're not telling us about-" the redhead continued, mockingly raising an eyebrow as Lysithea indignantly raised a finger in the air to cut her question short.

"Okay, first of all, please never call me Lissie again. Second, the two of you are nobles, aren't you? I'd expect you to have a better sense of punctuality." the youthful mage sharply reprimanded, her arms sternly crossed as she impatiently tapped her foot on the floor. "We _all _have better things to do than sitting around daydreaming while people are clearly suffering all around us."

"Please, there should be no need for you to fight!" Flayn insistently spoke up. "We are all friends here, are we not?"

"You're making a lot of assumptions right now…"

"You're free to begin preparing for your departure immediately, Lysithea." Byleth sharply interjected, putting a halt to her growing frustrations before they could boil over. "Bernadetta, can you come with me for a moment? I'll have you join back up with the rest of your group shortly."

"Y- you mean right now…?" Bernadetta aversively asked, receiving a short nod from her professor in return as the latter promptly made his unannounced departure from the meeting room.

"Professor? We're not quite finished yet-"

"We'll only be a short moment, Alois." were Byleth's final, offhanded words of assurance before he disappeared from sight altogether, leaving his violet haired student to nervously follow after him. With an apologetic bow, Bernadetta hastily darted out the door she came in to find her professor marching down the hall at an uncomfortably accelerated pace.

"Hey, can you just stop for a minute and tell me what's going on?!" Bernadetta frustratedly demanded as she quickly darted over to grab her professor's coat from behind.

"I know just as little as you do, perhaps even less." Byleth calmly admitted, stopping dead in his tracks the moment his perplexed companion managed to catch up with him.

"Can you at least tell me what you saw last night? You _always_ clutch your hand over your unbeating heart whenever you're lying or otherwise trying to hide something from me." the violet haired girl informed. It was a tic the ex-mercenary was clearly unaware of. What followed was an uncomfortable period of silence as the pair lingered in the hall for what seemed like an eternity.

"…By, you have to voice your feelings, or else I won't understand."

"You'd be better off not knowing. I'd much rather forget all about it myself." Byleth reluctantly admitted, still refraining from turning to face the girl waiting behind him.

"You don't have to be ashamed to tell me anything…"

"This is rather unbecoming of an instructor… I want you to make a promise with me." the professor softly requested with a wistful sigh before finally turning around and placing his hands on Bernadetta's shoulders. "If anything is to go awry while you're out in Weiler, I want you to let me know right away. Understood?"

"I– I guess… but how would you know if anything's wrong while you're miles away in Gronder Field…?"

"You can signal me with two split-second Divine Pulses. Just like this." Byleth stoically confirmed, even going as far as to demonstrate the technique himself on the spot. The two short flashes of color that swept past Bernadetta's eyes were a sign that both members of the pair were sure to notice, even if the rest of the world around them was completely oblivious to this message.

"Okay… w- well, you'd better do the same if you run into any trouble while you're out on your own. I'll come running right away!"

"You might have some trouble slipping away from your group unnoticed, but I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Byleth amusingly noted,

"We'll have another chance to… talk tonight, won't we?"

"Of course... if that's what you desire. It will be something worth looking forward to." Byleth readily confirmed, taking one hand off of his shorter companion's shoulders to fondly ruffle her unkempt hair. Though perfectly content with the warm act of affection, Bernadetta's comfort did not last for long, as before she knew it, she found herself back in her class's meeting room.

"Bernadetta, you will be accompanying Flayn, Monica, and Lysithea to the nearby village of Weiler." Alois commandingly repeated as though the former's brief rendezvous with her professor had never happened at all.

"_Oh come on… couldn't we have gone a little longer than that?" _the girl frustratedly thought to herself as she cast a look of disappointment towards her professor, who merely answered with an apologetic nod in return.

"_**Come now, you heard the man. I know you still have much to talk about, but you can resume your illicit activities after you've finished your business in Weiler."**_

"_I know, I know…" _Bernadetta mentally relented as her gaze shifted to find an already restless Lysithea impatiently tapping her foot on the floor. As always, it seemed that no matter how much the violet haired recluse wished to hold on to the precious moments she had alone with her beloved, it seemed that time would continuously find a way to escape her. With a tired sigh, Bernadetta set out to join up with her colleagues, wanting nothing more than to fulfill her duties at the earliest opportunity.

* * *

Bernadetta drew a deep breath of fresh air as she continued to walk down the thick, forested trail leading to her destination. True to Alois's word, she and her fellow students were accompanied, or rather surrounded, by the highest ranking knights under the man's command. It was an oversized entourage for the relatively small town that awaited them, due in no small part to the presence of Flayn, who seemed to happily prance along the trail without a care in the world, taking in the unfamiliar sights around her with all the glee of a curious child.

"Before we set foot in Weiler, I must remind you all to take extreme caution when interacting with the villagers." the knight in the front of the pack loudly boomed. "You are to keep all physical contact to a minimum, and you are not to consume any food or water you find under any circumstances. Am I understood?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I wouldn't touch anyone in there with a ten foot pole." Monica nonchalantly replied, her hands idly cradling the back of her head as the party's trek proceeded along as planned.

"A ten foot pole…? Do you intend to strike down any of the villagers that cross your path?" Flayn curiously asked, a look of confusion forming across her face as she imagined the redhead fending off an angry mob's worth of people with a simple staff in hand.

"Well, of course! How else am I supposed to keep myself from getting turned into a flesh eating zombie?" Monica facetiously affirmed, barely managing to stifle a small chuckle as Flayn let out a stunned gasp in response. "You'd better not let anyone bite you, Flayn, or else you'll-"

"There is no such thing as zombies, you two. They are purely a work of fiction, and nothing more." Lysithea immediately stepped in before the young priestess's mind could be further corrupted by Monica's tall tales.

"Aw, you're taking the fun out of this, Lissie!" Monica dramatically complained, much to the further annoyance of the white haired mage. "For all we know, the witch everyone's scared of could actually be a necromancer!"

"There's nothing fun about this! And that s- stupid witch isn't real either!" Lysithea loudly snapped, insistently stomping her foot on the ground for greater emphasis. "We're supposed to be investigating the cause of a terrible illness, not putting down rampant villagers out of some cheesy horror novel!"

"_That's a lot likelier than you might think…"_ Bernadetta mentally retorted, once again shuddering at the memory of the events at Remire.

"Well, why don't we try asking Bernie?" Monica's voice rang through the recluse's ears as she blatantly invaded the girl's personal space to a rest an arm over her shoulder. "So what do you think, are zombies real or not? Flayn and Lissie are just _dying_ to know the truth!"

"Hey, leave me out of this!" Bernadetta loudly objected, throwing the redhead's arm off her shoulder as she uncomfortably backed away from her inquisitive colleagues, where she promptly bumped directly into one of the knights accompanying their group.

"Whoa, careful there, Miss Varley!" the knight urgently warned, halting the recluse's momentum with his hands to prevent her from losing her balance. "You wouldn't want to tumble down the cliff leading down to the village, would you?"

Puzzled, Bernadetta peered around the body of the helpful knight to find, true to his word, the village of Weiler waiting right beneath them, complete with a long, winding trail leading down to the entrance.

"Well, finally. At least we've managed to arrive without any significant delays." Lysithea flatly noted, picking up her pace to advance down the trail as Bernadetta continued to look out upon the afflicted town.

"Goodness, what a pleasant community… I have not seen such a lively settlement in so long…" Flayn softly commented, clearly in awe at the sight of another human settlement outside of Garreg Mach.

"I don't think lively is the right word here…" Bernadetta quietly pointed out, noting the distinct lack of people roaming the village grounds as Flayn eagerly followed in Lysithea's footsteps. There appeared to be nothing structurally wrong with the village at first glance, yet for whatever reason, there wasn't a single soul in sight. Could the plague have already grown so dire?

The Varley heir's mind was already brimming with questions while the other members of her entourage promptly strolled past her to set off towards Weiler, but her attention quickly shifted to Monica when the redhead silently walked up to the edge of the cliff with an abnormally wistful expression.

"Is… something wrong, Monica?"

"Ah, it's nothing, don't worry about it. This place just reminds me so much of my hometown, you know?" Monica casually explained, her expression unchanging as she continued to look over the tranquil village.

"Oh, really? If you don't mind me asking, what was your hometown like?"

"It was really nothing special… just a tiny little border town off in the middle of nowhere. It's probably not the kind of place you'll find on the map anymore…" Monica answered, prompting a curious stare from her violet haired schoolmate before bursting into a small fit of laughter. "Ah, what am I even telling you all this for? Trust me; you wouldn't wanna sit around listening to my boring life story."

"Well… no, I don't think it sounds boring-"

"Hey, what do you two think you're doing, dawdling around up there?!" Lysithea irritably called out from further down the trail before Bernadetta could form a complete response. "We have a vital assignment to take care of, in case you've forgotten!"

"Eh, duty calls. What're we gonna do about it?" Monica indifferently shrugged before taking a large leap down the side of the cliff, leaving Bernadetta to watch on with a look of bewilderment as the Black Eagle enthusiastically beckoned her to follow suit.

"…I think I'll take the long way around." the Varley heir quietly shook her head, still not sure what to make of her redheaded colleague as she hurriedly set off down the winding trail to Weiler.

* * *

"How very peculiar… is there perhaps a law forbidding the citizens from roaming the streets at this hour…?" Flayn inquisitively commented, her gaze wandering every which way as she scanned the seemingly deserted streets for any signs of activity. Even for a town of such a small size, it seemed disturbingly out of place to find not even a single person going about their business outside.

"You don't think the entire village was infected by the plague, do you…?" Bernadetta fearfully questioned.

"Or even worse… they could have all been abducted by the scaaaaary wiiiiiitch!" Monica mockingly theorized, receiving a sharp elbow to the side from Lysithea for her troubles.

"No, the people here are simply frightened. Take a look at that house over there." the youthful mage promptly corrected, pointing over to a single open window where a young child was secretly peering his head out from behind. Immediately realizing his presence had been noticed, the child hastily slammed the window shut and closed the curtains together to shield his presence.

"Huh. There are folks watching us every direction, and they're all giving us some serious stink eye…" Monica quietly noted, showing a slight display of discomfort as her eyes rapidly darted around the area.

"At least we know this place isn't abandoned… for now, it seems our only option is to interrogate the villagers within their homes, assuming they'll even allow us inside." Lysithea concluded as she promptly set off towards the nearest house.

Naturally, her fellow schoolmates were quick to follow in the mage's footsteps, more than eager to find out more about the strange, desolate town they found themselves in. Only halfway towards her destination, however, Bernadetta nearly felt her heart stop when a thundering slam rang out from within the nearby home. Within moments, one of the frontal windows opened up to reveal a furious looking brunette girl, presumably one around her age, waiting behind it.

"Don't you dare take one step closer!" the youth loudly cried out, pointing an accusatory finger at Bernadetta, who instinctively trembled in response.

"Wh- what… what are you even talking about?!"

"Don't play dumb with me, girl! I'd recognize that demonic shade of hair anywhere!" the villager angrily spat back, briefly bending over to retrieve and hurl a small pebble in the direction of the fearful student, who just barely managed to avoid the impromptu projectile at the last second.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Lysithea sharply protested. "We're only here to help you, you simpleton!"

"If you truly wanted to help us, you wouldn't have taken that scum's daughter with you! And you…! After all he's done to ruin my family, I'd bet Count Varley was the one that unleashed that witch upon us too!" the youth shouted once more, her gaze still firmly focused on the shuddering figure of Bernadetta, who had no idea what she'd done to incur the woman's unbridled wrath. The brunette opened her mouth to continue her accusations, yet before she could utter a single word, she abruptly collapsed back into her home, having been struck in the forehead by the very same pebble she had attempted to attack Bernadetta with.

"Wha- Monica, no!" the lilac haired recluse immediately objected, not even hesitating to turn back time and take hold of her schoolmate's arm before she could fire back at the resentful villager.

"What gives, Bernie?! Don't tell me you actually _like_ getting put down like a wild animal!"

"Of course I don't, but do you really think this is going to solve anything either?!"

"It'll sure as hell make me feel better!" Monica quickly retorted, still refusing to drop the stone firmly gripped in her hand.

As if on cue, another loudly slam reverberated from the stranger's home when Lysithea angrily took hold of the youth's shoulders and, due to her short height, forcefully pulled the aggressor down onto the windowsill to that she could look her directly in the eye, even startling a handful of the nearby knights accompanying the group with her violent act.

"I don't know what Count Varley might have done to you, nor do I even care; there is nothing more foolish than blaming the child for the actions of their parents!" the young mage fiercely roared, almost as if she were personally offended by the villager's fierce accusations herself.

"Try telling that to the older brother I had to bury last week!" the youth quickly shot back, a claim that made Bernadetta instinctively shrivel up in guilt. "He was the only one left to support us after our parents fell victim to the last plague! And all of this happened under the watch of that worthless brat's father!"

"_The last plague…? What could she be…" _

"Everybody, please come to your senses!" Flayn urgently pleaded, catching the attention of everyone present as she deftly rushed over to the open window. "Lysithea, please unhand this woman right this instant. This was supposed to be a mission of peace, was it not?"

Begrudgingly, the white haired mage eased off on the equally enraged brunette, allowing Flayn to gently walk up and apply a light curative spell to the battered villager.

"You… you're a healer, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am. Would I be correct to assume that your remaining siblings have fallen victim to the plague?" Flayn calmly asked, receiving a slow nod in response. "Then I would like to request that you allow me and my friends into your home. I may not be able to cure your sibling's ailments entirely, but I can at least ease their pain."

"Very well… I'll allow you to lend your assistance…" the aggressive youth gratefully accepted, but not without shooting one last scornful look at the remaining students. "But I will _not_ allow any of your alleged friends to set foot in my home."

"And why not?! I don't know what Count Varley did to you, but I'm _not_ the same person as him! I've never even set foot in this village in my life!" Bernadetta desperately questioned, still bewildered by the brunette's severe lack of hospitality.

"Hmph. If you really want to know more, why don't you try asking someone else? My family is far from the only one that your bastard of a father has ravaged." the villager firmly concluded, silently beckoning for Flayn to come inside before bringing her window back down and forcefully yanking the curtains together.

"My apologies… it seems there is nothing I can do to convince this lady to change her mind."

"There's no need to apologize, Flayn. These people are all fools; holed up in their homes in fear of some harmless little girl… it's completely nonsensical." Lysithea bitterly grumbled, her eyes firmly shut as the young priestess apologetically bowed and set forth to enter the paranoid villager's home with two knights in tow.

"If anyone should apologize, it should probably be me-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Bernie, you didn't even do anything wrong!" Monica immediately objected, prompting a pained sigh from the lilac haired recluse.

"I know that... but if what that woman said was true, then-"

"What that woman said doesn't mean anything, Bernadetta. She's not even worth listening to." Lysithea sternly cautioned, to which the troubled girl acknowledged by silently setting out further into the depths of the town. "Now where do you think you're going?!"

"I think we should all split up from here. It should be easier for you to get into people's homes if they don't see me with you." Bernadetta offhandedly explained, not even bothering to face her fellow schoolmates as she continued to stroll off into the distance.

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?! You can't just wander off by yourself in a place like this!" the white haired mage strongly objected. "You may not place much value in your own safety, but I just know the professor's going to freak out if anything happens to you out here!"

"_**I'm afraid I must agree with Lysithea on this matter. The people of this town have grown so paranoid that there is no telling what they may attempt if they catch you out on your own."**_

Bernadetta momentarily halted, realizing full well that Byleth must have personally instructed Lysithea to keep an eye on her, letting out another guilty sigh before turning to face her unofficial supervisor. "This isn't worth troubling yourself over; you should probably take care of Flayn instead. I can handle myself just fine, but we'll _all_ be in deep trouble if anything happens to Seteth's beloved sister."

"Flayn has an entire squadron of knights at her beck and call. And unlike you, she's not the focus of a fear-crazed village-wide witch hunt." Lysithea sharply retorted, completely unfazed by the girl's cold reasoning.

"Look, I appreciate your concern, it's just-" Bernadetta quietly subsided, only for her eyes to widen in realization upon noticing the absence of a certain redhead in her group. "Wait second… do you happen to see Monica anywhere?"

"What are you… ugh, that's just wonderful. Like I don't have enough to worry about as it is." Lysithea tiredly groaned, cradling a hand to her forehead as she scanned the area to her missing schoolmate, but to no avail.

"Well, I guess we have no choice but to split up now." Bernadetta apologetically shrugged. "We should probably make sure our guest doesn't kill anyone while our backs are turned, right?"

"You really are hopelessly stubborn, you know that?" Lysithea continued to grumble, an assertion her lavender haired colleague didn't even attempt to deny as she resumed her own departure. "Just don't hold me responsible if you end up doing anything stupid while you're on your own." she gravely warned, showing no small amount of vexation as Bernadetta offhandedly waved goodbye to her.

* * *

"_**It seems the sins of the father may run far deeper than we could have anticipated." **_Sothis grimly noted sharing in her companion's mental anguish as Bernadetta continued to wander the streets of Weiler with her head hanging low.

"_I don't even know how much of this I should believe in…"_

Indeed, Bernadetta was no stranger to the myriad of unpleasant rumors surrounding both her and her family at large. It was hardly a secret, even as far back as her childhood, that Count Varley was not well beloved among his people. Many of the affronts spewed by the villagers were ones she had heard before, yet the sheer level of vitriol against her family's deeds was something else entirely.

"_Twenty years of ludicrously high taxes, and what did that get for us?! Absolutely nothing!"_

"_None of this would have happened if Lord Abelard were still in power!"_

"_You… you're the daughter of the bastard that stole away my child! Even after he'd already taken so much from us…!" _

"_Count Allocer was the one that spread this plague, I tell you! He's already done it once before, and he'll damn well do it again!"_

"_That man doesn't give a damn about his own people's suffering! He'd rather sit in his comfy mansion and watch as he feeds innocent people to that pet monster of his!"_

"_No… please, forget you ever saw me! Your father, he'll… he'll have me killed in my sleep if he knows I'd failed to uphold my debt…!"_

"_**Then remember this: the truth is what you see with your own eyes, not what you hear from others." **_the Goddess sympathetically offered her guidance. _**"No matter how heavily they might weigh upon you, these rampant rumors are ultimately nothing more than fleeting words. They do not reflect upon your true character in the slightest."**_

"_You don't have to lie to make me feel better._" Bernadetta bitterly shot back._ "You were there right with me; you saw exactly how much they all hated me, didn't you?"_

The Varley heir bit down on her lip as the unprecedented fear and anger directed towards her still rang clearly through her mind. Truthfully, she couldn't care less about her father's public affairs, but if even a fraction of the villager's tall tales were true, then why would they pour so much energy into blaming her for all their misfortunes? She knew deep down that she'd done nothing to harm any of them, yet she still became the target of scorn and slander all the same.

"_You must be that reclusive freak that makes cursed dolls to bring bad luck upon her enemies! Get the hell away from me!"_

"_Y- you can't fool me! You're the witch your father sent out to terrorize the land, I just know it!"_

"_Stop pretending you're even human! And give her back… give my sister back, you heartless witch!" _

"_Just looking at you makes me sick to my stomach. Why don't you head back to your dungeon and stay there forever?"_

"_Innocent? You actually think you're innocent?! If you hadn't been born, fewer people would have suffered needlessly for it!"_

"_My son is dead because of you and you alone! I swear if Owen had never had those delusions of befriending a noble…!"_

"_**Don't be such a fool. You should know better than to blindly agree with all this resentful trite. You were perfectly willing to stand up for yourself before, so what changed?" **_Sothis harshly reminded as her companion planted a hand over the freshly made bruise on her cheek, formed at the hands of a wrathful mother._** "Did you truly mean it when you said you were not the same person as your father? That you were not the same terrible villain these people viewed you as?"**_

"_Nothing I say will ever make a difference… I can argue all I want, but those people will only ever see my so-called father in my eyes and nothing more." _Bernadetta dismally resigned, stopping in her tracks to rest her weary body against a nearby wall. _"And they might actually be right, you know? Maybe if I'd just disappeared, then-"_

"It must not be fun, being so thoroughly loathed by everyone. And for what, exactly?" a low, mysterious voice suddenly called out, quickly snapping Bernadetta out of her thoughts as she frantically scanned the area for the source of the disturbance. Within seconds, her attention was drawn to an uncanny cloaked figure, its hooded face concealed by the shadows, save for a beckoning grin beaming in her direction.

The very appearance of this newcomer was enough to fill Bernadetta with a sense of overwhelming dread, leaving her rooted to the spot as the two silently stared into each other's eyes. Then, with nary another word, the unknown figure's jet black coat swayed through the wind as the onlooker calmly retreated into a nearby alleyway, seemingly without a care in the world.

"_I- I must be seeing things… There's no way this was real, right…?"_ Bernadetta fearfully asked, her body visibly trembling from the mere presence of the hooded figure, nervously anticipating a reply from the Goddess in her mind only to receive none in turn. _"S- Sothis… can you hear me…?"_

"_Hey, come on… if this is a joke, it's not funny…! You can't just fall asleep on me at a time like this!"_

Many seconds passed, and still, the violet haired student heard nothing from her divine companion. It was as if the Goddess had vanished just as suddenly as the cloaked figure appeared before her. Though it went against her better judgment, Bernadetta was left with no choice but to follow the onlooker into the alley, hoping with every fiber in her body that she was mistaken about this stranger's identity.

"_I can't believe I'm doing this, I can't believe I'm doing this…!"_

With her longbow drawn and ready, Bernadetta cautiously followed in the hooded figure's footsteps, ever wary of even the slightest movement from the shadows around her. The alley was little more than a single dark, abandoned corridor, seemingly cut off from the rest of the village, yet perplexingly, the cloaked stranger was nowhere in sight.

"You poor, poor girl..." a familiar voice suddenly spoke up from behind, practically startling Bernadetta out of her boots from how close it was to her.

"Agh! S- stay back! Stay back or I'll shoot!" the terrified student demanded, acting on pure instinct as she turned around and aimed her weapon directly at the hooded figure mockingly waiting behind her. Though the figure's voice was deeper than she would have expected, there was no mistaking that it was feminine in nature. Upon closer inspection, Bernadetta could make out the telltale pale white skin of an Agarthan peeking out from under the mysterious woman's hood, complete with a pair of ink-like markings trailing down the sides of her face, alongside two flocks of snow white hair long enough to rest upon her shoulders.

"Confused, are we? Too scared to even speak?" the stranger questioned, her lips forming into a mocking smirk as Bernadetta continued to shudder under her gaze. From this short distance, it was clear that the woman stood nearly a full head taller than the terrified archer. "Did you have any nice dreams last night, Bernie Bear?"

"How do you- just d- don't come any closer! I'm warning you, I'll put an arrow through your head if you try anything funny!" Bernadetta fiercely demanded, utterly refusing to take her aim off of the imposing threat before her.

"Wow, such courage, such bravado!" the woman offered an insincere compliment as she slowly applauded her victim's show of bravery. "And here I was expecting you to shrivel up like a wilted flower while you beg for your beloved professor to come and save you again."

"Shut up… you… you don't know anything about me! You're just trying to screw with my head…!" Bernadetta fearfully cried out, nearly losing her breath when her aggressor mockingly pretended to put a single foot forward.

"What do you think you did to make all these people hate you so much, Bernie? You must have done something _especially_ awful lately."

"Don't be ridiculous… you're the witch responsible for spreading this plague around, aren't you?! You're the reason these people are too frightened to leave their homes…!"

"Witch… is a rather vulgar title, don't you think?" the hooded woman mused aloud, not even bothering to deny Bernadetta's claims. "And yet they're all pointing their metaphorical torches and pitchforks at _you _instead. Why do you think that is?"

"I- isn't it obvious…?! I'm just… a proxy for the people who actually wronged them… a walking target for them to vent their built up frustrations towards… even if it's not entirely unwarranted…" Bernadetta added under her breath.

"I'm glad to see you understand that much." the witch contentedly nodded before raising a single finger to her lips. "But I can promise you this; even without all this business surrounding your dear old dad and the plague, these people will still find another reason to hate you regardless."

"What are you even talking about…?"

"They're out there, you know. Wherever you look, you'll find people so despicable, they'll go out of their way to hurt others, and even those remotely associated with them, purely because of their blood." the witch's lips quickly formed into a venomous frown. "Disgusting, isn't it?"

"Well yeah, I can't deny that…" Bernadetta reluctantly agreed, having already seen her fair share discrimination towards herself and others. "But not everyone's like that, you know?! I have friends… loved ones who couldn't care less about where I'm from… and someone dear to my heart who'd reach out his hand for me no matter what-"

"And how long do you expect those friends of yours to last, Bernie?" the witch grimly challenged, her tone growing direr with every word. "Do you think you even deserve them? Do you truly believe they'd still care for you if they found out what you really were?"

"What I really am…?" Bernadetta fearfully parroted, unsure what to make of the witch's ominous warnings. "W- wait! I told you not to come any closer!"

"You honestly haven't figured it out after all this time?" the witch chuckled in disbelief, completely ignoring the terrified archer's warnings as she continued to close in on the terrified archer.

"Who _are_ you?! What do you even want from me?!" Bernadetta shakily asked as she slowly backed away from the oncoming witch.

"If you wish to learn more about yourself, why don't you ask your mother? I'm sure she'd love nothing more than to share all the juicy details with you." the cloaked figure nonchalantly advised before her lips formed another smug grin. "And don't worry; I'll be sure to save some more time for that cute professor of yours later."

"No…! You stay away from him!" Bernadetta snapped back, fully incensed as she finally mustered the will to let loose an arrow from her bow.

* * *

"…_**Will you wake up, already?!"**_

"Wait… what…?"

"_**Are you daft?! What was going through your head when you decided to fall asleep in a place like this? And in the middle of an assignment at that!"**_ the voice of Sothis rang through Bernadetta's ears like a morning alarm, prompting the girl to instantly shoot up to her feet with a terrified scream.

"Where… where is she?! Where the hell is that wicked witch…?!" Bernadetta loudly demanded, her eyes wide open and bow still in hand as she frantically scanned both sides of the alleyway for any signs of life.

"_**Would you please take a moment to compose yourself before you attract any unwanted attention?!" **_the voice of the Goddess boomed once again, this time causing her lavender haired companion to brace herself against a nearby wall as she desperately attempted to catch her ragged breaths.

"_Sothis… please tell me you know what's going on… I couldn't hear a thing from you while I was chasing that witch into the alley…!"_

"_**The witch? What in the world are you going on about?! All I saw was you mindlessly wandering off without heeding any of my warnings!"**_

"_You're kidding… right? You really didn't see any of that?!"_ Bernadetta questioned in utter disbelief. _"The witch was right there! She was in a shadowy hood, and she seemed to know way too much about me, and-"_

"_**Once again, I would like to remind you to get a hold of yourself… I never claimed not to believe you. I am just as troubled over this conundrum as you are, but panicking will get us nowhere."**_ Sothis carefully reminded in an effort to ease the frightened recluse's racing nerves. _**"It was as if you were just possessed by some unseen force… I was unable to hear a single word from you as well, yet if you truly met with this witch as you have claimed, then…"**_

"Hello… is anybody in there? I just heard the most terrible scream…" a curious voice echoed through the alley before Sothis could further her train of thought.

"_I wasn't that loud, was I?"_

Immediately recognizing the source of this voice, Bernadetta's gaze shifted to the entrance of the alleyway to find Flayn staring back at her with the same wide-eyed, innocent expression she always bore.

"Ah, greetings Bernadetta. What a pleasant coincidence; I was actually hoping to seek you out just now." the young priestess happily noted as her violet haired schoolmate hurriedly darted over to speak with her directly.

"Flayn? Wait a second… didn't you have an escort of knights following you around the last time I saw you?"

"Well, you see, I have just engaged in the delinquent act known amongst today's youths as… ditching!" Flayn proudly proclaimed. "It gives me such an exhilarating feeling, the likes of which I have never experienced before!"

"I don't think your brother's going to be happy to find out that you ran away from the guards he sent to protect you…"

"Seteth means well, but he is always so overbearing… it seems that is something I cannot evade even outside the walls of the monastery."

"At least you know he'll always care for you, right?" Bernadetta quietly asked, receiving a nod of agreement from the young priestess in return. "Did you… happen to catch anybody going in or out of this alleyway recently?"

"Not in particular… I do not recall witnessing any people within this passage aside from you." Flayn noted, a curious expression forming across her face as she placed a hand to her chin in deep thought. "And from the looks of it, there only appears to be a single entrance to this alley as well… what exactly were you doing here?"

"Are you sure you didn't see anyone coming out of here? No… mysterious hooded figures or witches-"

"Witches? Oh, Bernadetta, you should know full well that this witch we have been hearing of is nothing more than a figment of the frightened populace's imagination." Flayn calmly explained, no doubt skeptical of her schoolmate's wild story. "I fear this rampant paranoia may have gotten to your head as well..."

"I- I'm not making this up! I know what I saw! I met with the witch myself and followed her into this alley!" Bernadetta frantically attempted to defend her account, only for Flayn to place a concerned hand over her shoulder for her troubles.

"Perhaps this is all getting to be too much for you… but fear not! I have a favor to ask of you that may serve to take your mind off your troubles."

"I swear I'm not… fine. What did you want to ask me?" Bernadetta hesitantly relented, knowing better than to continue digging herself deeper.

"Well then, for starters, it has come to my attention that a great number of children in this village have lost their parents to the plague. Once we have wrapped up our investigations for the day, I plan to arrange for them all to find a new home over in Garreg Mach; much like the orphans of Gaspard whose lives you saved."

"That sounds like a kindhearted plan… but what am I supposed to do? Do you want me to convince my parents to give them a quick place to stay for the week, or-"

"Oh no, I should require no assistance on that end." Flayn immediately corrected. "Is it true that you are known across the monastery as an avid author of children's books?"

"A- an author…? Who could have given you that idea?" Bernadetta nervously denied, now desperate to shift the subject away from herself. "I swear, I've never written a book before in my life!"

"Oh? But I have heard so much acclaim for writing capabilities from your peers; Sylvain in particular had nothing but glowing praise for your latest creation!"

"_Ugh, when are those shameless drabbles of mine gonna stop coming back to haunt me?!"_ Bernadetta mentally anguished as the young priestess continued to gaze upon her with expecting eyes. "Okay… maybe I'm not a total stranger to writing, then."

"That is wonderful to hear! In which case, I was hoping that you might craft a new story for me to read to the orphans back at the monastery. If all goes well, perhaps we could even convince the children from this village not to be so frightened of you!"

"Well, I- I'll at least think about it… but I'm really not the best person for the job, you know? Isn't there anyone else you can-" Bernadetta desperately attempted to back out of her schoolmate's requests, only for her conversation to be cut short by a loud series of crashing sounds resonating from across the street.

Concerned, the two students immediately fled the alley to locate the source of the commotion. The deafening bangs continued to reverberate throughout the village as the pair hastily raced the streets to discover their origin, and before long, both students were greeted by another loud slam emanating from a nearby house.

"What in the- Monica?! What are you even…?" Bernadetta's eyes widened in shock as she instantly recognized the redheaded figure emerging from a newly dislodged front door. Perhaps the involvement of the ever-present Black Eagle didn't come off as a surprise in hindsight, but the robed figure forcibly snared within her hands was another matter altogether: an Agarthan Dark Mage bearing the familiar bird shaped mask worn by his occult colleagues.

"Oh hey, you two! You'll never guess who I just found skulking around in here!" Monica proudly explained, an expression of satisfaction spreading across her face while her fellow students looked upon the ongoing scene with abject confusion.

"_There's something really fishy about this…"_ Bernadetta's brows furrowed as she mentally assessed the situation at hand. _"I know we heard signs of their supposed struggle from a mile away, but these two clearly aren't injured whatsoever… just what the hell is Monica trying to accomplish here?"_

Before the Varley heir could even begin to make sense of her redheaded companion's intentions, however, a ball of dark magic suddenly sailed through the air, forcibly knocking the dark mage out of Monica's hands as the projectile struck him across the chest.

It didn't take long for the students present to realize the source of this disruption when an enraged Lysithea fiercely marched over to the masked mage she had sent unceremoniously tumbling to the ground.

"Odesse…!"

"Why, if it isn't Miss Ordelia… I'm quite flattered to see you still recall my name after all this time…" the downed mage weakly sputtered, his mask had cracked from the spell's impact to reveal traces of his pale white skin hiding underneath.

"Lysithea, what is the meaning of this?!" Flayn quickly demanded, unhesitantly throwing herself in the path between the white haired mage and her wounded victim before the former could do any more harm. "Do you know this man?"

"You don't know the half of it, Flayn."

"Why the unhappy face, Miss Ordelia? Are you still not grateful that I allowed you to grow to your new potential?" the injured Odesse politely asked, further incensing the short statured noble that wounded him so gravely. "I can already sense the staggering progress you've made from here…"

"Shut up! Stop acting like you've done anything to help me!"

"Oh ho ho, it looks like _somebody's_ holding a grudge!" Monica amusingly commented, earning only a disapproving stare from her colleague in response.

"Hmph… I hope you all like long stories, because there is something I've been meaning to share with you for a while. If my theory is correct, and I _know_ it is… this tale may just reveal the secret behind this terrible plague." Lysithea darkly announced, to the tune of a loud chorus of surprised gasps from her unsettled peers.

All the while, Bernadetta remained cautiously silent, already knowing the tragic details of Lysithea's story all too well. Odesse… this was a name she had only heard briefly in her original timeline; he had likely been killed shortly after his encounter with the Alliance's army, but there was no doubt that this Dark Mage had a vital role to play in the grand scheme of things. With some luck, perhaps the new information unfolding before her could serve to shed some much needed light on the mysterious witch plaguing her mind as well…


	20. Chapter 19: Disconnect

"That sounds utterly horrifying..." Flayn gasped in disbelief, her mouth hanging slightly open in shock as her mind was still reeling from the details of Lysithea's tragic tale. The emerald haired priestess's gaze restlessly alternated between the downtrodden young mage in question and the captured Agarthan responsible for the former's hardships, completely unsure of what to make of her situation.

Odesse's hands were tightly bound behind his back, and his damaged bird mask had been removed to reveal a heavily scarred face underneath, bearing an unrepentant expression whilst he was forcibly led down the forest path leading back to the Varley manor.

"As difficult as this may be to accept, the symptoms between the Varley plague and the experiments on my family match up disturbingly well." Lysithea's icy gaze was firmly transfixed on her pale faced captive as she spoke. "The act of forcibly implanting a Crest in a person places an enormous strain on the body, even more so for those whose bloodlines are incompatible." she continued, visually struggling to resist the urge to lunge forth and strangle Odesse as she adopted a puzzled expression. "And yet… I've never seen Crest experimentation on such a wide scale before. How in the world were they able to carry all this out beneath the public's notice…?"

"You keep speaking of our Crest experiments as some sort of unforgivable evil…" Odesse suddenly spoke up, promptly catching the attention of everybody present. "Have you ever considered that our undertakings are rather designed to foster the growth of humanity? I honestly pity how your people have stagnated under their mindless idolization of the Fell Star." the captive Dark Mage added with an amused chuckle. "Humanity, like all other species, is naturally designed for evolution; to forge itself into something much greater over the course of time, yet it seems you've decided to take the opposite approach instead."

"Is this some kind of twisted joke?!" Lysithea loudly snapped. "Do you honestly think you're helping people by murdering so many innocents in the process?!"

"Come now, Miss Ordelia. You should know full well that your staggering potential would have gone to waste were it not for the gracious aid we provided to your family." Odesse calmly reasoned, further infuriating the white haired mage before him. "The weak die; and the strong survive. That is simply the natural order of things, wouldn't you agree, Lady Bernadetta?"

"Wh- what are you asking me for?" Bernadetta nervously asked, clearly taken aback by the sudden question directed towards her. _"There's nothing natural about any of this…! Couldn't you ask literally anyone else? And you just had to pick the worst possible time too…" _the Varley heir internally groaned, clutching her aching forehead in vain as Odesse simply stared at her expectantly. Having already felt sick to her stomach ever since her earlier encounter with the mysterious witch, she was hardly in the mood to listen to her hostage's impromptu lecture on evolution.

"_Now is hardly the time for stage fright, girl. I'd like to think you of all people should know the answer better than anyone. You've already embraced such a lifestyle for yourself, after all."_

"Agh! What the- who just said that?!" Bernadetta yelped in surprise, the unexpected voice seemingly causing the pain in her head to reach a fever pitch, attracting a number of concerned stares from her fellow students.

"Uh… are you feeling alright, Bernie?" Monica curiously asked with a worried look on her face. "I didn't hear anything just now."

"_**Bernadetta, what on Fódlan is going on with you?!" **_Sothis asked, utterly bewildered by her violet haired companion's frantic state of mind. _**"Whatever voice it is you're hearing, I must confess that I am unable to perceive it either."**_

"Y- you're kidding…! You seriously didn't hear any of that?!" the frightened student blurted out to nobody in particular, all but oblivious to the myriad of strange looks pouring down on her.

"_My, you must really be losing your mind if you're hearing voices in your head, Bernie."_

"_You're…" _Bernadetta mentally gasped, immediately recognizing the source of the newest voice within her burning sensation in her mind only seemed to further intensify with each word that was whispered into her ear. _"Just who is this witch? She's not supposed to be here at all!"_

"_Funny. I could say the same thing about you. And don't you think it was rather rude of you to cut off our first meeting so abruptly? I've been meaning to speak with you like this for the longest time, I'll have you know."_

The familiar sound of the recently encountered witch's disembodied voice let out an amused chuckle as the violet haired victim of her torment frantically searched the area for any signs of her presence.

"_**Did you just say… oh no. This must be the same phenomenon that just took place in Weiler!" **_the Goddess grimly realized as Flayn carefully stepped forth to place a comforting hand over Bernadetta's lightly sweating forehead.

"Oh goodness, did you happen to bump your head on anything back in the village? I would be perfectly willing to heal you if you so desire."

"N- no, it's nothing. I'm totally fine! I'm probably just hearing things in the wind, that's all." Bernadetta lied, hoping to ease the young priestess's worries as she picked up her pace to keep up with the rest of her group. She knew better than to even dare to mention the witch's name at this point.

"Are you sure you're in any condition to continue like this?" Lysithea calmly asked, no doubt concerned over her reclusive classmate's uneasy demeanor. "Perhaps we should ask the professor to have you sit out the rest of the investigation…"

"_Ah yes, by all means, go ahead and drag your friends down even further than you already have."_

"SHUT UP!" Bernadetta shot back at the top of her lungs, briefly startling her colleagues once again before she managed to realize her err in judgment. "Uh, sorry, I just… I have a lot on my mind right now. I swear I'll still be able to pull my weight for the rest of the week."

"You're not exactly helping your case." the white haired mage muttered under her breath as she continued to keep a careful eye on her internally panicking classmate.

"_**I understand your frustrations, but I must urge you not to let this witch get under your skin to such a degree. She is making you look like a mentally ill fool right now." **_Sothis urgently cautioned, receiving only a tired nod from her lilac haired host in return.

"You may all think of my kind as sinful beasts… you can detest our noble labors as much as you'd like… yet when all is said and done, the true nature of the human spirit is hardly any different from our own." Odesse calmly claimed, resulting in an uneasy period of silence as the students responsible for capturing him uncomfortably averted their gazes with a wide variety of mixed expressions.

"I don't really have a personal stake in any of these experiments you've been conducting, but there is one thing I can agree with…" Monica suddenly spoke up, now looking Odesse in the eye with a blank, unreadable glare. "Everyone has the capacity for wickedness deep down; there are no exceptions. Even if change is inevitable for all living creatures, this is one aspect of life that will always remain."

All Bernadetta could do was breathe a troubled sigh in response. As much as she wished to refute her redheaded schoolmate's pessimistic worldview, her words rang true all the same. The Varley heir had already experienced this grim reality for herself countless times before, and no amount of optimistic ideals could ever hope to change this fact.

"That was remarkably perceptive of you, Miss Ochs. I never would have taken you for such a thoughtful young lady." Odesse offhandedly complimented, causing Monica's expression to turn into one of mild discomfort as the Dark Mage subtly looked past her with another disconcerting smile. "Of course, I must admit…. None of our latest advancements would have been made possible without the vital aid of Lady Lilith."

"_Oho, I'm flattered, really. My contributions were only minor at best. All I did was direct them down the right path."_

Bernadetta instinctively froze in her tracks, and the pain in her head boiled over yet again the moment the witch's voice sounded off.

"_Guh…! Wait, are you…?"_

"_Did you figure that out on your own, genius?"_

"_What the hell do you even want from me?!" _Bernadetta internally demanded, clutching her aching forehead in a vain attempt to ease her mental torment as she continued to ponder the newly christened Lilith's motives._ "Who… what are you even supposed to be?!" _

"_A witch has many faces, my dear. Make no mistake; I'm only here to help you understand the harsh reality of your situation. You can never hope to change fate if you continue to hold onto your shameful ignorance as you do now." _

"_I… I…"_ Bernadetta desperately attempted to retort, but the throbbing in her head had become far too intense for her to endure anymore. It was as her head had been set ablaze, all while a flurry of searing hot needles had emerged from within to further intensify her internal agony. "Make it stop… MAKE IT STOP!"

"…_**ta! Can you hear me?! Please, try to compose yourself right this instant!" **_the voice of Sothis finally rang through in the midst of her companion's mental anguish.

"_You've already begun to suspect it, have you not? Just how much longer will you continue to deny your true nature, I wonder?" _

For a moment, Bernadetta nearly felt her heart stop as Lilith continued to prey upon her mind. The depths of this witch's apparent foresight were growing more terrifying with every passing moment. _"N- no… you couldn't possibly know anything about me…! All you're doing is planting lies in my head!"_

"_Oh, on the contrary; this IS reality, Bernie. No one can help you. You'll never make a difference if you keep desperately clinging to your dear professor's side like some stray mutt. You're only going to lose him all over again… unless you do exactly as I say."_

"_You can't know… I don't want anything to do with your depressing vision of reality…!"_ Bernadetta struggled to retort, receiving only a condescending scoff for her troubles.

"_Running away as usual, are you? Hardly surprising, but you will certainly come to understand in due time. I'd love nothing more than to continue this heartfelt lecture with you, yet I suppose I'll just have to let you go for now. Ah, but there was one more thing I wanted to ask of you… when you see your mother again, be sure to ask what she knows the name Sahrius. That's sure to get her attention."_

"_Don't tell me what to do!" _the pained Miss Varley managed shot out one last retort, just in time for the voice of Lilith to fall completely silent in turn.

"…_**Is she finally gone?"**_

"_Yeah… but my brain still feels like it's melting away." _

"_**I must confess, I also feel abnormally weak after all that's happened today..."**_

"_That's it. We're cursed. I know it. We need to get back to the manor right away…!"_ Bernadetta quietly dreaded, opening her eyes to find that she had subconsciously dropped to her knees in the midst of her private discussion with Lilith, undoubtedly scrutinized under the worried gazes of her traveling party. Flustered, the reclusive noble hastily made an effort to lift herself off the ground, only to freeze in her tracks once more when she caught wind of a single wolf lying in wait within the nearby forest thicket.

At first glance, the animal appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary wolf, yet there was something innately unnatural about it that shook the surrounding onlookers to the core. The creature's irises seemed to be completely nonexistent, and the low, menacing snarls blaring from its maw were unlike any living creature Bernadetta had heard before.

"_What in the… these monsters weren't watching us from the shadows before, were they…?"_

"Don't make any sudden moves now, Bernie." Monica quietly warned as she slowly stepped forth to help her lilac haired schoolmate back on her feet. "These wolves shouldn't attack us as long as you don't do anything to provoke them."

"My goodness… they all seem to be in such agonizing pain…" Flayn sorrowfully commented, noting the presence of even more wolves surrounding her group beyond the initial beast Bernadetta found. The young priestess even found herself cringing in sympathy as one of the unfortunate creatures lurched over and vomited a small torrent of blood over the forest floor.

"I don't think now's the time to feel sorry for a bunch of wild animals, Flayn." Lysithea insistently warned, ever wary of when the surrounding beasts may lunge out at her ragtag group of students and knights, the latter of which were entirely ready to draw their weapons in the event of a battle.

"Let's not lose our heads, everyone! I know you're all scared out of your wits right now, but if we don't pay those wolves any mind, we'll be able to leave their forest without a fight!"

"How can you be so sure that these wolves will leave us alone so easily, Monica? These beasts are eying us down like Raphael at an all you can eat buffet!"

"What, don't you trust me, Lissie?" the Black Eagle innocently questioned, receiving another irritated groan from the impatient mage in return.

"I say we should leave Odesse behind as bait instead of waiting for these monsters to attack us first!"

"Ah yes, I'm sure you'll be perfectly able to extract information from my cold, decaying corpse once these beasts have finished having their way with me." the hostage Agarthan darkly joked, eliciting an acceptant grumble from his captor as the group at large hesitantly continued on the trail back to the Varley manor.

"Relax, Bernie. Everything's gonna work out just fine. I don't think there's much I can do to help right now, but you can at least use this to dry those tears of yours." Monica offered, handing over a small, ruffled handkerchief to her troubled colleague.

"What are you… thanks." Bernadetta hesitantly accepted the gift, having apparently failed to notice the streams of tears running down her cheeks over the searing pain in her head.

"Don't mention it. Now let's get going; the sooner we get you home, the sooner you can have a nice, long nap!"

Ever grateful, the troubled Miss Varley simply gave a vacant nod while her fellow student happily skipped ahead along the forest path. The cold chill running down her spine refused to fade, even as she hastily scurried along trail before her.

"…Hey."

"Gah! YoustupidwitchyoutouchmyBylethandI'll-" Bernadetta hotly demanded the instant she felt a tiny hand brush up against her back, frantically turning around to find the petite form of Lysithea as opposed to the towering figure of Lady Lilith lurking behind her. "Oh… I- I'm really sorry about all this-"

"Look…" the youthful mage swiftly raised a finger in the air to cut her classmate's shaky apology short. "I understand what you're going through better than you might think, Bernadetta." Lysithea explained, prompting a curious look from her violet haired compatriot. "When I finally emerged from my brutal Crest experiments alive, the people of my territory came to view me as an inhuman monster as well. A witch, if you would."

"But… why? Did you even do anything to deserve their hatred?"

"I can hardly begin to comprehend that myself." Lysithea shook her head in frustration. "Even though my appearance and capabilities had drastically changed, I was still the same girl I used to be beforehand. And yet… the people grew scared all the same. Because my parents had taken even a single step in the wrong direction, our entire population fell into an uncontrollable decline, and the people desperately sought somebody… anybody to blame for their woes."

"…Do you still love your parents, even after all that's happened to you?"

"Of course I do. I can't blame them for circumstances that were completely out of their hands, and I can't blame myself for them either." Lysithea resolutely declared. "I can't claim to understand the true depths of your parent's actions, but you shouldn't let their mistakes define your identity. And regardless of whether this so-called witch is real or not, you can't let the people's blind hatred get to your head, no matter what. Do I understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Yeah… thanks, Lysithea. My wisdom really pales to yours, as always."

"Can you not wear such a content smile when you're putting yourself down like that? It's completely paradoxical!" Lysithea grumbled in annoyance. "Just try to take my words to heart, alright?"

"I won't make any promises, but I can at least give it a try." Bernadetta lightly chuckled to herself before picking up her pace once again, wanting nothing more than to leave this forest behind at the earliest opportunity.

"_**Just what in the world did that witch- Lilith, was it? What did she want from you this time?"**_ Sothis quickly spoke up, her voice filled with apprehension as an eerie silence began to shroud over the entire traveling party.

"_I don't know… none of this makes sense to me!" _Bernadetta frustratedly bemoaned, fully sharing in her divine companion's confusion._ "Odesse…his entire capture felt too contrived… it's like he wanted us to find him… And Lilith… she must have had the perfect opportunity to kill me back in the village, but she didn't take it… this is just too much for me to comprehend."_

"_**It's at least plain to see that Lilith has no desire to lead you to your death… did you happen to learn anything of importance from her?"**_

"_Well… she wanted me to speak with my mom about somebody named Sahrius-"_

"_**What did you just say…?!" **_Sothis gasped in astonishment the instant she heard the name Sahrius escape her companion's lips.

"_Er… I was supposed to ask my mother about Sahrius…?"_ Bernadetta repeated, clearly taken aback by the Goddess's sudden outburst. "_Sothis… do you know anything about this?"_

"_**I… I cannot begin to say…**_" the emerald haired Goddess regretfully admitted._** "This name sounds so familiar… so vitally important to me, and yet… frustrating as it is to admit, my memories of ages past are still a blur."**_

"_It's weird… I've never heard that name before in my life, but it feels familiar to me too…" _Bernadetta continued to muse. _"Maybe my mom can actually help with that… she is married to the Minister of Religious Affairs, after all. She has to know something… and maybe I'll be able to find some answers of my own if we're lucky."_

"_**I can only pray that we do..."**_

* * *

The remainder of the march back to the Varley manor was occupied by an uneasy silence shrouding over its participants. True to Monica's word, the surrounding wolves allowed everybody to pass through their territory with little incident, in spite of the beast's uncanny surveillance of the entire traveling party. Their behavior was anything but natural to say the least, but to Bernadetta, there were far more important concerns rushing through her mind instead.

Her old manor's courtyard seemed more illustrious than ever under the glimmering rays of the sun, but the pleasant sight did little to alleviate her mounting troubles. As if her disastrous family reunion wasn't enough to worry about, now she had to worry about another swathe of angry citizens blaming her for their every misfortune and the spirit of a wicked witch haunting her every move.

Instinctively, Bernadetta's body remained tensed up even as she drifted through the familiar grounds of her family's home, not knowing when the voice of Lady Lilith may pop up to startle her once again. The temptation to scamper off to her room and eagerly await Byleth's arrival was stronger than ever, but now was hardly the time to sit back and relax.

Faint voices could be heard from within the manor as soon as Bernadetta set foot near the front door. Ever curious, the girl promptly darted ahead of the rest of the group and gently opened the front door. Inside, she was understandably surprised to see her mother up and about, speaking with two familiar figures she hadn't seen for the longest time.

"I see… this has been a truly enlightening conversation, Countess Varley… if I might ask, how long has your husband been-"

"E- Edelgard?! What are you doing here?" Bernadetta instinctively called out as soon as she laid eyes on her old house leader. The Adrestian princess's faithful retainer Hubert, forever glued to his liege's side, raised an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of his former classmate.

"You're home rather early. I don't suppose you've been caught up in yet another incident-"

"Hubert, please allow me handle this." Edelgard calmly requested before her loyal servant could spring into an interrogation of his own, receiving a simple nod of understanding in return.

"Edelgard… where have you been over the past couple of weeks?" Bernadetta hesitantly asked before directing an alarmed expression towards her mother. "And mom…! You're supposed to be in bed!"

"Somebody has to tend to visitors while your father is unwell, dear." Theresa calmly reasoned. "I assure you, I'm more than capable of handling the affairs of our estate in his place."

"But still, your disease…" Bernadetta stammered out, feeling too bashful to even look her mother in the eye.

"Rowan and Hubert have been tending to your mother ever since we arrived earlier this morning. Her condition is perfectly stable, Bernadetta." Edelgard coolly reassured as the remainder of her fellow schoolmates and their knightly escort promptly began to disperse into the mansion. The Adrestian heir opened her mouth to speak once again, only to find herself at a loss for words when she laid eyes on the captive Odesse emerging through the front door.

"You're…"

"You're welcome, by the way." Monica happily chimed in as she placed a playful hand over her newfound hostage's shoulder. "So how's life been treating you, Edie? We've got a lot of catching up to do, don't you think? Just where do you think you've been skulking off to behind our backs?"

"I'm sure we're all quite eager know, Lady Edelgard." Odesse slyly added, taking up a more curious expression as his gaze wandered to the leading noblewoman of the manor. "And what's this…? Why, if it isn't Mistress Eleanor! It's been far too long since I've last laid eyes on you… and you've hardly aged a day ever since!"

"I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about, serpent." Theresa firmly denied. An unexpectedly aggressive tone filled her voice and her expression shifted to one of abject disgust as she looked upon the captive Agarthan. "Rowan, please take this man away right this instant. You are to lock him up as far away from our guests as humanly possible."

"Why the hostilities, Milady? Does nobody here know how to treat an old acquaintance- ugh!" Odesse gasped in pain as he was forcefully wrested away from Monica's grasp.

"I will not tolerate any further disturbances from you." Rowan coldly informed, an unreadable expression forming across his face as the aging butler proceeded to dutifully escort the hostage Agarthan out of the entrance hall, sharply tugging on his already airtight bindings whenever the captive attempted to speak, and not even allowing him the privilege to turn his gaze towards his sickly liege or the returning students.

"Edelgard… do you know something about the widespread Crest experiments across the region?"

"And what could have given you that impression, Bernadetta?" Edelgard sharply retorted, peering into her former classmate's eyes with the intensity of a hawk spying upon its prey. "If you must know, Hubert and I have undergone an… underground investigation of our own ever since the incident at the Holy Mausoleum. As the heir of the Adrestian throne, it is simply my personal duty to attain a proper grasp of the events transpiring not only within Empire, but throughout all of Fódlan."

"You may be interested to learn that the plague infesting your territory, widespread as it is, has not taken a single step outside of Varley's borders. It's quite a peculiar phenomenon, if I might say so myself." Hubert keenly observed, his own harsh stare causing the lilac haired noble before him to nervously avert her gaze.

"I- I don't know…! That's what we're trying to figure out!"

"If you have any answers regarding our predicament, we would very much like to hear them, Edelgard." Flayn politely requested, much to the amusement of the eerie retainer watching her every move.

"I'm afraid we have nothing concrete to say on the matter. Any theories we have are all but meaningless without the proper evidence to back them up." Hubert readily reasoned as his sharp eyed liege slowly proceeded to approach the already uneasy Bernadetta.

"And what of you, Bernadetta? Have you discovered anything of note recently?"

"Well, I'm er… sure it's nothing you haven't already figured out yourself…" the violet haired recluse stammered, trying her best not to visibly tremble under the gaze of her old house leader. "I'm sure we could probably learn a lot more from Odesse, right?"

"Indeed… one of the innumerable twisted serpents that have been lurking under our noses. I would like to speak with him myself if given the opportunity."

"Why don't I take you to meet him right now? I'll even tell you all about the scary witch that's been spreading the plague across the land along the way!" Monica eagerly offered as she quickly ran up to take her House Leader's hand in hers, much to Hubert's stark disapproval.

"Is that so? I'd certainly love to hear more about this infamous witch." Edelgard calmly nodded, easily wresting her hand free from the redhead's grasp before turning her attention to Bernadetta. "Hubert, why don't you lead everybody ahead for me?"

Instinctively, Bernadetta set out to rush out of the entrance hall the moment she caught wind of Edelgard's sharp gaze, only for the latter's faithful retainer to stop her in her tracks before she could take even a single step.

"Not you. Lady Edelgard would like to have a brief word with you. Preferably in private." Hubert coldly informed, sending a deep chill down his former classmate's spine.

"_Oh no. She's actually onto me this time!" _

"Try not to take too long, Edie."

"It's alright, Monica. We'll catch up with you all in just a moment." Edelgard smoothly reassured while her retainer proceeded to herd the remaining students off into the depths of the manor. "I don't know what you've gotten yourself involved in, Bernadetta… but for your sake, I must urge you to quit while you're ahead."

Bernadetta felt a lump form in her throat upon hearing Edelgard's staunch warning, leaving her restlessly rooted to the spot while her mother watched on with a vacant expression, refusing to utter a single word until the corridor was cleared of all bystanders. "You'd do well to take Her Highness up on her advice, Bernie. I've been well informed of your actions within the monastery… and you're dealing with forces far beyond your comprehension."

"Wh- what are you even talking about…? I didn't do anything wrong! I've just been going about my business like an ordinary schoolgirl!"

"So you say, and yet ever since the new professor arrived, your actions have made it abundantly clear that you know far more than you let on." Edelgard sternly refuted, her steely gaze peering into her fellow schoolmate with the intensity of an eclipsed sun. "Departing the Black Eagles at the earliest opportunity, the unnatural shift in your overall demeanor, your apparent foresight of the events that have transpired throughout the school year… it's almost as if you've become an entirely different person."

"Wh- what are you even trying to prove?! Sure, a lot can change in only a small amount of time, but I'm still the same innocent Bernie you've always known!" Bernadetta desperately attempted to stave off her old house leader's suspicions, to which the latter firmly shook her head in response.

"This isn't a whimsical fairy tale, Bernadetta. You don't seem to understand the gravity of your actions." Edelgard grimly shook her head once more. "I will, however, give you a vital opportunity to prove you're not a threat to the future of the Empire. I have no intention of bringing harm to you, especially if my suspicions are truly unfounded as you say."

"So what, do you just want me to walk away from all this?!"

"Preferably, yes. If you're truly as innocent as you want me to believe, then surely it wouldn't be a problem for you to remove yourself from the equation… though I suppose some things can't be helped either way." Edelgard added under her breath as she proceeded to take her leave from the manor's entrance hall.

"…Isn't it the duty of those with knowledge to use what they know to help people?" Bernadetta boldly challenged, halting her former classmate in her tracks before she could fully depart. A slight twinge of regret flashed in her eye as Edelgard turned to face her once again, sporting a razor sharp look that seemed to pierce into her very soul.

"Your words certainly ring true… but allow me to answer your question with one of my own: Do you truly believe you can make a difference without sufficient knowledge of this land's suffering?"

"Does it matter if I know every last detail of Fódlan's history or not? What's important is that I'm striving to do everything in my power to make things better regardless."

"Bernie, I think that's enough. It's not your place to-" Theresa disapprovingly spoke up, only for Edelgard to firmly cut her short with a raised hand.

"It's quite alright, Mrs. Varley. I believe your daughter has made her point perfectly clear. I'll be sure to keep her words in mind for the foreseeable future." The Adrestian heir calmly assured, stealing one last shadowy glance at her former classmate before resuming her departure.

Perhaps in utter disbelief at her own audacity in the face of the most powerful figure in the Empire, Bernadetta could feel her heart racing as she silently watched her former house leader make her exit, not daring to speak another word until she was well and truly alone with her mother.

"You really have changed… haven't you, dear?"

"Mom…" Bernadetta quietly muttered as Theresa cautiously approached her with an expression of abject worry. Whatever fear she once felt in Edelgard's presence quickly vanished in favor of a frustration that's been built up over her entire life. "I'm tired of being kept in the dark. You can't keep hiding the truth from me forever, no matter how harsh it might be."

"Aha… what could you possibly be-"

"You can quit the innocent act, Mom, or Eleanor, or whatever your name is." Bernadetta unhesitantly cut in, prompting a darker shift in her mother's expression. "You know something about me that I don't."

"I don't know what you may have heard, but you had best purge it from your memory at once." the sickly Mrs. Varley sharply countered, stifling a pained sigh as her daughter shot a sharp glare at her before continuing. "You couldn't possibly understand, Bernie. This cursed knowledge I hold will do nothing to aid you; it will only bring untold volumes of undue pain onto you and our family name."

"Can't you see that I'm not a little girl anymore?! You might think ignorance is bliss, but averting my eyes from the truth will do far more to harm me than your _cursed knowledge_ ever will!" Bernadetta loudly snapped, much to her mother's visible shock. "That witch everyone's spreading rumors about is real, you know? I met her myself while I was out on my investigation, and her words reinforced some of the doubts I've held for the longest time."

"Is that so?" Theresa's eyes slowly narrowed. "And what did this witch tell you to stir your misgivings so thoroughly?"

"I don't need someone to spell it out to me to know that I'm a subhuman monster. You should know this better than anyone, right? And if that's the case, you should also be able to tell me what you know about the name Sahrius-" Bernadetta began to explain, only for her mother to abruptly lunge forth and forcefully plant a hand over her mouth before she could speak another word. "Mom, let go- I can't breathe!"

"That witch… who is she?! Why does she know that name?!"

"I- I don't know! I'm sorry if I upset you, just please don't kill me!" Bernadetta desperately panicked under her mother's frightening demands as she broke free from the noble's deceptively quick grasp. "I didn't get a good look at her face, but she was clearly an Agarthan, and she said her name was Lilith-"

"Another member of the hidden Society… it's just as I feared…!" Countess Varley's voice audibly quaked as her daughter looked upon her with a deeply hurt expression. "I'm so sorry… I never wanted you to get caught up in any of this."

"Agh… what is wrong with you…? And what do you know about that witch…?" Bernadetta quietly asked, still struggling to catch her breath after her mother had taken her by surprise.

"I don't know her personally, but I do know why she sought to speak with you alone…"

"…And what about Sah-"

"Bernadetta." Theresa sharply interjected before the mysterious name could fully escape her daughter's lips. "You are not to speak the name of the Shadowseer under any circumstances. Have I made myself clear?"

"The Shadowseer? Is that supposed to be-"

"Meet me in my room at the stroke of midnight, away from prying eyes. We have much to discuss..." Countess Varley hastily interjected before shuffling off into the depths of the manor, leaving her daughter to ponder over the recent turn of events alone, feeling more lost than ever before.

"…_**Your mother certainly has a lot of energy to spare for someone who was lying sick in bed just last night."**_

"_No kidding… I've never seen her lose her cool like that before… she was always such a gentle soul."_

"_**Yet simply hearing Sahrius's name was enough to set her off… how troubling."**_

"_I don't know what to make of any of this… our relationship was never remotely close to begin with, but I now it feels like I don't even know the first thing about her… it's scary."_ Bernadetta shivered in her boots, ever anxious of the consequences of what she was about to learn. At the same time, she understood that the truth had been buried for far too long, and was determined to uncover it no matter what consequences awaited her.

* * *

"N- no! You can't do that, By! I can still help-"

"There's no room for discussion, Bernadetta. I heard all about what happened in Weiler from Lysithea." Byleth sternly informed, feeling too ashamed to keep eye contact with his pupil while she looked upon him with disbelief. "You are to remain in the manor until our investigation is finished. This situation is far too dangerous for you."

"And all our previous missions weren't?!" Bernadetta loudly questioned as she uncomfortably paced across the familiar space of her room. It was ironic, really. In her original time, she would always relish the chance to skimp out on excursions, but now the space she once called a personal sanctuary was anything but. "If you're so worried about my safety, wouldn't it be better for you to keep an eye on me personally? W- we could watch each other's backs while you're out on your secret mission, and…!"

"You know I can't do that either. The Church would surely have your head if anyone caught wind of your involvement. You don't know how-"

"I know how to take care of myself! It's you I'm worried about! Can't you at least tell me what you've been up to today?!" Bernadetta desperately demanded, her body unconsciously trembling as she hastily scrambled forth to look her professor directly in the eye. "You've been gone for so long, I was afraid something might have happened to you…! Especially after that witch-"

"You met with the famed witch face to face, didn't you?"

"Wait, you… actually believe me?"

"Of course… it seems my concerns weren't entirely unwarranted." Byleth quietly confirmed with an odd expression of guilt washing over his face. "How could I have allowed any of this to happen to you?"

"How could you..?" the young Varley parroted, clearly taken aback by her companion's sudden display of remorse. "You didn't do anything to hurt me if that's what you're worried about. You'd never do that."

"Haven't I? Just look at yourself, Bernadetta. You're always gazing into my soul like you're expecting something terrible to happen to me the moment you turn your back, and you've only become more apprehensive over time. You know of all the misfortunes fated to fall upon our academy, yet you feel powerless to prevent any of them. And that's not to mention your increasingly desperate attachment to me… It's all too clear that you've experienced hardships that no one your age should ever have to endure." Subduing a distressed breath, Byleth fell silent for a few moments as his shorter companion cautiously reached out for his idle hand. "I cannot claim to fully understand the depths of the future you hailed from, but you never would have had to suffer like this if I'd simply been a better instructor."

"N- no! That's not true at all…! I never could have survived without you!" Bernadetta was quick to deny her professor's dreary claims, only for the latter to solemnly shake his head in reply. "You've… always been my greatest source of strength. If it's for you, then… then it's okay if I have to-"

"That only proves my point even further. You should understand that the lives of all my students are _my_ responsibility above all else. Every time I look into your eyes, I see the aching soul of somebody who was forced to struggle day in and day out for survival. That alone is enough to tell me that I've failed you as a teacher."

"It's because of _my_ failures that I set out on this journey through time in the first place! I have a responsibility to set things right, even if- no, especially if I have to suffer for it!"

"No, these mistakes should be mine to bear, not yours! You've already suffered enough!" Byleth fiercely snapped, briefly alarming his younger charge as he unexpectedly raised his voice for the first time that night. "I have no intention of adding your name to the list of comrades I've already lost!"

"Y- you don't get it, By! If I'm not around to take care of you, who else will?! I know I've always been a terrible excuse for a lover… I could never do enough to support you, but now I can-"

"_**Ugh, just how long are you planning to drag out this self-pity contest of yours?" **_the voice of Sothis suddenly called out, much to the alarm of the feuding pair. At the same time, a familiar flash of emerald light flooded the room, forcing the would-be couple to avert their eyes from the brilliant display. Upon regaining their bearings, the pair was surprised to find that the twin Sothises had physically manifested once again, each staring at their respective companion with a look of abject disapproval.

"Honestly, you two. Are you even listening to yourselves right now?" the past incarnation of Sothis indignantly shook her head as her human witnesses found themselves at a staggering loss for words.

"What in the… how are you two doing this again?!" Bernadetta bemusedly spoke up, rubbing her eyes in disbelief at the sight of the twin Goddesses standing before them.

"Is that really your greatest concern at the moment?" the future Sothis sharply asked, undoubtedly frustrated by the behavior of her two hosts. "Do you truly believe we'll be able to accomplish anything if the two of you keep staring down at your feet like this? In case you've yet to notice, you are the only individuals with any insight of the disasters yet to come." the short statured Goddess keenly reminded, much to the shame of her bickering companions. "You need to spend less time moping over what you could have done differently, and focus on what you _can_ do today, lest you allow history to repeat itself all over again."

"It's not as easy as you're making it sound…" Bernadetta softly lamented, only for the past Sothis to sharply cut her off with another disapproving glare.

"Whoever said that changing the course of destiny was supposed to be easy? If anything, squabbling amongst yourselves like a couple of moody children is only going to make your task more difficult than it already is."

"_Ugh… this is just great." _Bernadetta internally bemoaned, wanting nothing more than to escape from the bitter scolding of the Goddess._ "We're not even officially married yet, and we already need counseling." _

"_**You do realize I can still hear your thoughts, right?" **_Sothis mentally clarified, to her violet haired host's further dismay.

Just then, a short series of knocks could be heard coming from the bedroom door, promptly silencing everyone within as a familiar voice called out from the other side.

"Is something amiss, Lady Bernadetta? I could hear you arguing with somebody from clear across the manor."

"N- no, it's nothing, Rowan!" the panicked noble was quick to deny her butler's concerns. "I swear it's just me in here! I'm, er… actually reciting for a play, that's all!"

"Is that so? I must say, your vocal range is rather impressive. You simply must show me how you are able to replicate a distinctly male voice so efficiently." Rowan promptly pointed out, seeing through his liege's frantic alibi with ease.

Realizing it was far too late to cover up the admittedly loud she'd engaged in with her partner, Bernadetta didn't hesitate to turn back the clock to ensure that no other soul in the manor could ever catch wind of Byleth's presence within her room.

"I, er, think I should go to see my mother now." Bernadetta softly muttered, barely able to maintain eye contact with her secretive professor as she motioned towards the door. "It's getting awfully close to midnight, after all…"

"Yes, of course… it would be for the best if you didn't put this off any longer than necessary."

"_**Do not think you're off the hook just yet. We will continue this conversation the moment you return." **_Sothis acutely chimed in, to which her purple haired companion responded with an exasperated grimace to nobody in particular.

"Yeah, right… I can't just keep sitting on my hands forever, right?" Bernadetta hesitantly agreed. Holding back a fearful groan, the Varley heir remained rooted to the spot for a short while before turning back to Byleth with another pleading expression. "…You're still going to be here when I come back, right?"

"You have my word. I won't allow any undue harm to come to you again."

"That's, er, not exactly the reply I was expecting, but… thanks. I promise to the same for you." The ever anxious noble replied in kind, her hand shakily hovering over the door knob as her gaze nervously shifted back and forth between Byleth and the barrier separating her from the truth to come. Ignoring the restless beating in her heart, she proceeded to steadily make her departure, ready as she'll ever be to traverse a past yet unseen.

* * *

Unavoidably, Bernadetta's mind began to swell with all sorts of grim possibilities as she hurriedly made her way through the familiar, dark corridors of her manor, ever cautious to avoid making the slightest sound along the way. Just what could her mother have been hiding from her over the years? Was Count Varley himself privy to the secrets his wife held so desperately? Whatever the case, it was plain to see that Theresa's darkest secrets had the potential to disrupt the very foundation of the Varley family name as it stood, and there was no doubt that Lady Lilith was somehow fully aware of this matter herself.

A deep-seated piece of the reclusive noble's heart had always hoped that the so-called parents she grew up with her whole life were nothing more than imposters. It would be a pleasant surprise if it turned out that someone like her Uncle Abel had been her true father all along… but Bernadetta knew better than to lean so heavily on an unlikely twist of fate that, by all means, belonged in a fairy tale as opposed to the real world.

Slowly shaking her head at the folly of her preposterous hopes, the young Varley continued to make her way through the shadowy depths of the residence she once called home. It wasn't long before she rounded the final corner leading to her mother's chambers. With one last deep breath, the girl hurriedly scurried through the hallway leading to Countess Varley's room, pushing aside whatever unpleasant memories she had of the surrounding area.

Bernadetta felt her heart skip a few beats when she reached out for the door knob at the end of the hall, only for it to suddenly turn of its own accord before her hand could make contact with it. Expectedly, the door itself opened up shortly afterward, revealing the figure of Theresa von Varley peeking out from within. It was hardly surprising to know that the countess was patiently awaiting her daughter's arrival, but what truly threw Bernadetta for a loop was her mother's ghastly appearance; though still clad in the simple blue nightgown she had worn before, Theresa's skin bore an eerily familiar pale white tone to it.

"You're… s- so I really am one of them… I'm-" Bernadetta stammered out, nearly finding herself at a loss for words as she bore witness to her mother's true appearance.

"A subhuman monster? I won't deny as much." Theresa flatly confirmed, her mixed expression masked by the darkness surrounding the pair. "It was foolish of me to think that I could hide this from you forever."

"Why… why did you keep this from me for so long…? I know your people aren't exactly looked upon fondly-"

"And for good reason; they're not people, Bernie. They're animals." Theresa coldly interjected, now bearing a look of tranquil disgust upon her face. "I'm sure you're well aware of the Church's stance on our kind by now. They're naught but a den of twisted serpents without a shred of goodness in their bones."

"That was a lot harsher than I was expected…" Bernadetta muttered aloud, undoubtedly shocked by her mother's open hatred of her own race. "But… aren't you one of them too? And so am I… they can't _all_ be as bad as you're making them out to be… right?"

"It's true… you and I are Agarthan by birth, and we have the same blood running through our veins…" Countess Varley admitted with a light chuckle. "But that blood is tainted. It is not something to be proud of."

With a troubled sigh, Theresa briefly retreated into her room, leaving her daughter to silently ponder over the recent revelation. Before long, the countess fully opened the door, having returned her skin to its usual tone and bearing what appeared to be a small basket of white roses in her hands.

"Come. There is something I've been meaning to show you for the longest time. We can talk more along the way. I'm sure both of us could use the fresh air."

"W- wait a second! Are you even feeling well enough to go out this late at night?" Bernadetta was quick to share her concerns, to which her mother replied with a reassuring smile.

"I assure you, I'm feeling much better than I did just last night. This matter is far too important to simply cast aside…" Theresa calmly explained as she proceeded to delicately stroll off into the hall. "Besides, if the worst does come to pass, I know I can rely on you to see me to safety."

"Ah, just hold on a second! Can you at least tell me where we're going?! And what's with the basket of roses?! You're not trying to lure me into a trap, are you?!" Bernadetta panickedly asked as she hastily rushed off to catch up with her unexpectedly active mother.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know once you settle down, Bernie. It's rather late at night; you don't wish to disturb any of your resting friends, do you?"

The countess's succinct reminder was more than enough to give her daughter pause. With a brief look of embarrassment, Bernadetta held her head low as she quietly scampered over to her mother's side. "Right… sorry… and I'm sorry about last night too."

"No, it's quite alright. I can hardly blame you for being frustrated at a time like this." Theresa softly comforted before coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the hall. Though she didn't turn to face it, Bernadetta could instinctively tell that her mother's gaze was focused on the worn, unhinged door off to the side. The door was just as worn down as it appeared the night before, and by all accounts, it was clear to see that it had remained completely untouched for far longer.

"You should know that the very future of our family name rests solely upon your shoulders, Bernie. Everything your father and I have done thus far has been in the pursuit of both that future and yours."

"…Can we just hurry up and move on? I'd rather not linger here any longer than we have to…" Bernadetta uncomfortably requested, actively averting her gaze from the darkened room to her side as she hastened her pace down the hall.

"Yes, I understand… I realize there is little I can do to assuage the ordeals you've suffered in this home… but please try not to hold it against us." Theresa softly pleaded as she followed after her daughter, receiving only an awkward silence from her in turn. "…You wished to learn more about the Shadowseer, correct?"

"Y- you mean Sahrius?" Bernadetta's head instantly perked up the moment she heard the mysterious title. "Yeah… I only learned that name recently, but there's something familiar about it that I just can't put my finger on… why are you calling him the Shadowseer?"

"To be more specific, the Shadowseer is what the Church calls him. It's hardly surprising that you haven't even heard his name until now, considering the great lengths the Church went through to conceal his very existence from the world. It's considered a great sin to even speak his name aloud under any circumstances."

"Really...? Did he do anything terrible in the past to warrant this…?" Bernadetta cautiously asked, undoubtedly surprised by the sheer secrecy surrounding this unknown figure.

"I suppose that would depend greatly on who you ask. To the Church, the Shadowseer was a figure of unbridled calamity that brought nothing but death and misery in his wake. To the Agarthans, however… Sahrius was a beloved deity that brought untold prosperity unto the people with his unparalleled foresight of the future."

"_**Such differing accounts… a walking disaster and a beloved deity… if he could predict the future, then…"**_ Sothis wondered aloud, briefly alarming her violet haired companion while she continued to walk through the shadowy halls of the Varley manor alongside her mother.

"_Sothis… is something wrong?"_

"_**Pay me no mind. Please, listen on for me. I need to know more about this."**_

"_O- okay…" _Bernadetta shakily accepted, feeling somewhat unsettled by the urgency of the Goddess's request as she turned to face her mother with a curious expression. "Well… do you know which story is true? I'm sure both of them can't be correct, right?"

"I'm afraid I can hardly tell you for certain… all of this took place well over a thousand years ago, but there is one aspect that both sides of the story can fully agree upon." Theresa explained, a grim expression forming across her lips as her daughter aided her down the stairs to the first floor of the manor. "It is said that our kind once lived alongside the dwellers of the surface as equals. I know very little of this era aside from what I've learned from others, but these times of peace came to a violent end when Sahrius was murdered in cold blood… at the hands of the Fell Star Sothis."

"_**No! No, that… that can't be right… I could never have…?"**_

"_Wha- Sothis, what's wrong?! Did you just remember something?!"_ Bernadetta urgently asked, having stopped in her tracks from her companion's sudden outburst.

"_**No… damn it all, why can't I remember?!"**_ Sothis continued to grumble in frustration, to the further distress of her already perplexed companion. _**"This is impossible… why would I have killed him…? Ask your mother for more information at once! I have to know this!"**_

"_Alright, alright, just settle down first! All your yelling is starting to give me another headache!" _

"Bernie…? Is something the matter?" Theresa asked out of concern, quickly taking note of her daughter's sudden pause.

"Er, no it's just, uh, I've been wondering…" Bernadetta cleared the fogginess welling up in her mind while she rushed forth to catch up with her mother. "Do you have any idea why Sothis would have killed Sahrius? And come to think of it… why do you even know so much about this?"

"That… I cannot say. I'm afraid I've told you all I know regarding the legend of the Shadowseer. As for why I know all of this…" Theresa paused to let out a long sigh of acceptance. "I have spent my entire life running away from my heritage. This tainted blood within my veins has brought only suffering in its wake, and now I fear my past is finally catching up to me once again."

"Is this why you kept my ancestry a secret from me for so long? Odesse clearly knew who you were as soon as he laid eyes on you earlier today."

"Indeed it is. Your insight has certainly grown sharper, Bernie." Countess Varley sincerely congratulated with a pained chuckle as the pair finally made their way into the manor's entrance hall. "That is precisely why you must keep your Agarthan blood a secret at all costs, even from your closest companions. If anyone were to even _suspect_ your true heritage, then you and your loved ones would surely pay dearly for it. There's no telling how our family name would be affected either…"

Bernadetta mentally cringed upon hearing her mother's warnings, recalling the unfortunate fates of those who were slaughtered in the territory of Gaspard. Surely, they must have gone to great lengths to conceal their identities from the world, wishing simply to live alongside the rest of humanity in peace before disaster inevitably struck them.

"I trust you've been made aware of the secret Society many of our kind have affiliated themselves with, yes?" Theresa calmly asked, receiving a confirmatory nod from her child in return. "I see… as much as is pains me to look back upon this, my entire lineage has served under this group for ages with the express purpose of preserving the bloodline of Sahrius. My bloodline had one day hoped to bear a child who inherited Sahrius's gifts, but with little success. I… was born as the latest in a long line of failures for my physical frailty, and my inability to see visions of the future."

"_That sounds like…"_

"_**Bernadetta… the dreams you've been having… could you possibly be related to this Shadowseer in some way?"**_

"_I… I don't know. I don't think I've been seeing the future… I know for a fact that some of those dreams must have happened beforehand, but the others..."_

Left uneasy by her companion's sharp-eyed observation, the lilac haired recluse knew there was one thing she absolutely had to ask her mother. "Mom… do you think I'm-"

"No. Perish the thought. That's completely impossible." Theresa was quick to debunk her daughter's theory before she could even finish her question.

"But if there's even the slightest chance-"

"No daughter of mine could possibly have anything to do with such an irrelevant deity." Countess Varley sharply interjected, leaving her daughter in a stunned silence as she opened the front door to the manor. "Not only was I born a failure, but you were born a half-breed. You don't need to know any more about the Shadowseer. Any affiliation you have with him will only bring ruin to our family."

"…_**Perhaps it would be best if you refrained from pushing this issue any further." **_

Silently agreeing with her divine companion's words of caution, Bernadetta promptly followed her mother out of the manor, shielding her eyes from the unexpectedly bright moonlight above as she shivered from the chilled air around her. "Wh- where are you even taking me, mom?"

"I'm taking you to meet your sisters, Bernie." Theresa promptly explained, leaving her daughter with her mouth agape as she proceeded to walk off in the direction of the estate's sizeable garden.

"What do you mean sisters?! I thought I was an only child!"

"You're not exactly wrong… but please bear with me. You'll understand as soon as you lay eyes on our destination." Theresa calmly explained as her daughter frantically rushed across the manor's large courtyard to catch up with her. "You should know that the Agarthans of the Society have little forgiveness for deserters, and they have even less tolerance for half-breeds."

A sharp chill fell down Bernadetta's spine as she cautiously followed her mother into the almost labyrinthine gardens that awaited her. She used to spend much time in these gardens when she was younger, especially in instances where she was forcefully locked out of the manor, only to find herself helplessly lost within on nearly every occasion.

"Keep close to me, Bernie. What I'm about to show you has been kept a closely guarded secret, and for good reason." Theresa calmly explained as she expertly guided her child through the myriad of twists and turns barring their path. "I ran away from the Society at an early age. My own mother stayed behind and even faked my death to aid in my escape, having no intention of turning me into a breeding slave for a long dead god."

Bernadetta wisely remained silent as her mother came to an abrupt stop in the midst of her explanation. In one fluid movement, she retrieved an ornate key from her basket of roses and proceeded to insert it into a seemingly innocuous door lying just off to the side.

"Unfortunately, those of my kind are not looked upon fondly, nowhere you are in the world. From that point forward, my life depended on my ability to conceal the tainted blood flowing within me." Theresa let out another pained sigh as her hand shakily lingered on the locked door before her. "Even so, I still managed to fall in love and start a family with a caring husband and a beautiful little daughter. I thought that if I could keep my true identity from them forever, we could all live happily ever after… but it was never meant to last.

With a mixed expression of sorrow and nostalgia, Countess Varley gently opened the door to reveal a small, concealed graveyard lying in wait just behind the door. A loud gasp escaped Bernadetta's lips as she bore witness to the small lineup of gravestones hidden within. With a simple gesture of her hand, Countess Varley beckoned for her child to enter the tiny cemetery and shut the door behind them.

"Could you take my basket for me and plant a handful of roses on each grave?"

"O- okay… so this is what the flowers were for, huh?" Bernadetta nervously asked as she accepted the collection of

"Indeed. White roses in particular symbolize innocence and purity… if you would, please begin with the grave in the middle for me."

With a silent nod, Bernadetta cautiously approached the stone in question and knelt down to read the name inscribed upon it.

**Lucy**

**1155-1159**

"_There's… no last name? It looks like it must have eroded away over time… and she died so young."_ the young Ms. Varley noted to herself as she placed a large handful of roses on Lucy's grave.

"Lucy was… my first daughter, and your half-sister. We lived in a humble estate, not unlike the lavish manor we call home today, albeit much smaller in comparison." Theresa fondly recalled with a warm smile on her face. "As you might imagine, our time together was short-lived. I'd like to say that the circumstances behind her death were far beyond my control… but in truth, I only have my own carelessness to blame for her tainted blood being unveiled to the world at large."

"Oh no… don't tell me-"

"It's just as you fear, Bernie. Not long after word got out about Lucy's, and by extension, my true heritage, we inevitably caught the attention of a merciless band of hired arms. Fearing for our lives, my husband at the time arranged for Lucy and me to flee the continent while he stayed behind to draw their attention away from us… I never saw him again ever since, but I can at least hope he managed to survive and move on like I have."

"Wait a second…" Bernadetta muttered aloud, her eyes growing wide as she turned to face her mother with a bewildered look on her face. "You fled the continent… are you trying to say you're not originally from Fódlan?!"

"That is indeed the case, dear. The land I hailed from was known far and wide as the City of Sin, and for good reason. It was a relatively tiny country in the grand scheme of things, but it was ripe with corruption nonetheless. Violent attacks such as this have been known to crop up all across the land, and they weren't just perpetrated against Agarthans either."

"_**This sounds disturbingly familiar…"**_ Sothis briefly commented as the grieving countess took a moment to wipe the tears falling from her eyes with a small cloth.

"I'm… sorry if this sounds insensitive, but how did Lucy die? Did you at least manage to escape your old home?"

"Yes… we were able to flee all the way to the northern edge of the continent with the aid of my old husband's closest colleagues. There, a small ship awaited us, which was planned to take us as far away from the land we once called home as humanly possible… but our ruse was discovered at the last possible second. The two of us had no choice but to exhaust ourselves as we ran through the pouring rain for our dear lives with nothing but the clothes on our backs… and just as we were about to reach our salvation, a stray arrow had struck Lucy from behind."

Bernadetta took a moment to hang her head down in sympathy as her mother paused to force her eyes shut, no doubt hoping to expel the tragic memories playing out within her mind.

"Lucy… my innocent little girl was killed purely because of her tainted blood… I held her fragile body close to my heart as we drifted away on the stormy waters, utterly helpless to mend her suffering and pleas to live while she bled out in my arms…" the countess's eyes remained tightly shut as she concluded her recount of her first daughter's demise. "The voyage to Fódlan was a blur to me, for I can only remember waking up in the midst of a shipwreck on the shores of Enbarr…"

"I'm so sorry…"

"Please, don't apologize. You had nothing to do with any of this, Bernie." Theresa calmly reassured as she turned her gaze to the leftmost graves. "Now if you would, please move on to the two graves to the left."

Dutifully, Bernadetta was quick to obey her mother's request. The two names inscribed upon the graves, however, only served to further the student's confusion as she carefully planted roses among them.

**Viola von Varley**

**1155-1158**

**Edith von Varley**

**1135-1159**

"They're both Varleys… does that mean they were related to my… you know."

"That's quite right, Bernie. Edith was his first wife, and Little Vio, as he called her, was his original daughter. I never knew either of them personally, but it was clear that your father loved them with all his heart."

"_That's… honestly hard to imagine."_ Bernadetta snidely commented to herself, utterly refusing to believe that Count Varley could ever treat a daughter of his with any degree of decency.

"From what I've been told, both Edith and Vio fell victim to a horrible plague, not unlike the pandemic we're experiencing today." Theresa solemnly explained, much to her daughter's abject surprise.

"There was another plague? I remember hearing a rumor about this in Weiler… how along ago was this?"

"From what I understand, the whole tragedy transpired around 20 years ago. Apparently, it wasn't nearly as devastating as the current outbreak, but it left a lasting effect on this territory nonetheless. And perhaps by a whim of fate, I happened to arrive in Fódlan not long after the old plague came to an end."

"That's remarkably convenient… if you don't mind me asking, do you ever wish you could go back home?"

"It's quite alright, dear." Countess Varley promptly reassured her daughter with an accepting smile. "I never had any desire of returning to my old homeland, and the bitter memories that came with it. Besides, I wouldn't even be able to return home even if I wanted to."

"You can't? …Oh, that's because of the Veil, right?"

"Ah, so you've heard of the Veil as well. It's a very bizarre phenomenon to say the least." Theresa pondered aloud. "By all means, my arrival in Fódlan was a complete accident. I had no idea this land even existed beforehand, but I would never wish to trade the new life I made here, or the chance meeting I had with your father for anything."

Unconsciously, Bernadetta's expression immediately took a downward turn the moment Count Varley was mentioned, something her mother was quick to pick up on.

"You know… as hard is it may be for you to believe, your father was an overwhelmingly kind man when I first met him." Theresa boldly claimed, which only served to intensify the skeptical look on her daughter's face, much to her amusement. "We met shortly after I washed up on Enbarr. Lucy's body was still tightly cradled in my arms as I stumbled onto the shore, utterly delirious from the long, treacherous voyage I had to endure. I surely would have died of exhaustion and hunger within the day, were it not for a single, inconceivable twist of fate; Allocer happened to be aimlessly strolling along the coastline at the time, still reeling from the death of his first wife just two months before…"

"_**What an astounding set of coincidences… this is beginning to sound like a scene out of a fairy tale…" **_Sothis quietly commented as a reminiscent smile began to form across Countess Varley's lips.

"Without a moment's hesitation, Allocer immediately swooped forth to ferry my weary body back to human civilization. He was exceedingly generous, impossibly patient, and above all else, he truly understood the misery I had suffered just to make it to Fódlan. I didn't even think of asking for any more favors, and yet he eagerly offered me a chance to live at the manor. He changed my name, catered to my every whim, and he even went so far as to convince his colleagues that I was a long lost noble from a defunct house."

"_Are we… even talking about the same guy I'm familiar with here?"_ Bernadetta silently wondered, feeling no shortage of embarrassment while her mother was practically swooning all over Count Varley like a love-struck schoolgirl. Admittedly not unlike herself at times.

"It wasn't long before the two of us fell in love. With the mutual support we offered one another, we felt as though we could truly move on from the loved ones we'd lost along the way, and we wished for nothing more than to start a new family of your own… that's where you came into the picture, Bernie. There's just one last grave left for you to attend to."

Ever fearful of the next tragic tale that awaited her, Bernadetta cautiously made her way to the rightmost grave in the line. The name inscribed upon the stone did little to alarm her, but rather the single date listed just below.

**Victoria von Varley**

**1162**

"What the… I see a date of birth, but no date of death… wait a second! Isn't that the year I was born?! There has to be some mistake!" Bernadetta shouted in panic the moment she recognized the uncomfortably familiar date on the tombstone.

"This… is your twin sister, Bernie. What you're seeing is no mere mistake. She did indeed die on the same day you were born, as she never lived long enough to make it out of the womb…" Theresa sorrowfully admitted, receiving a wide eyed look from her surviving daughter in turn.

"What… how?"

"Even now, I can hardly begin to fathom the circumstances behind Victoria's premature death…" Theresa shook her head in frustration. "We didn't even know we were having twins until we discovered your presence, Bernie… there were no complications with my pregnancy beforehand, yet by then, it was far too late for your sister."

"H- hold on a minute! You're not blaming me for Victoria's death, are you?! That's completely ridiculous, I wasn't even born yet!"

"I know! I know better now, but your father seemed to believe otherwise…" Countess Varley anxiously admitted, hanging her head in shame as her daughter's silver eyes looked upon her with an unbridled sense of anger and dismay. "Even still, as our only surviving daughter, it fell solely upon your shoulders to carry on our family's legacy, especially after the near-fatal struggle surrounding your birth left me unable to bear another child…"

"Oh, and let me guess, my unwilling father only accepted me because I was born with a Crest, is that it?!" Bernadetta furiously demanded, which resulted in an unexpected silence in turn.

"Y- yes, of course… Just like Vio before you, your Crest is the key to securing our family's future."

"_**Why the sudden hesitation? I'd like to think it would be simple to remember if your child was born bearing a Crest or not…"**_ Sothis mentally pondered, instantly taking note of the dubious panicked tone of the countess's voice.

"I will admit… our efforts to raise you were riddled with countless missteps along the way. We were perfectly happy with your miraculous survival at first, but even before then, Allocer had fallen into an ill-fated political situation which only seemed to grow worse with every passing year. Before long, he simply took to blaming you for every misfortune he suffered along the way. He came to view you as a demon, forced onto his life by the very Goddess he swore to serve as some kind of sick joke. And I… was entirely complicit in his beliefs. I even encouraged them myself."

"…What are you trying to tell me here?" Bernadetta quietly demanded, her voice dripping with barely concealed contempt.

"It's difficult to explain… for the first few years of your life, I was perfectly happy to have a second chance at raising a child. Yet it quickly became apparent that you were the complete opposite of my lost Lucy in every conceivable way. From your introverted nature, to your physical frailty, and even the way your very mind worked… it frustrated me to no end. I imagine Allocer must have felt the same way."

"…So that's how you saw me all along." Bernadetta softly muttered, resisting the urge to tear up as she slowly turned to face her mother with a look of pure disappointment.

"Bernie, you don't understand-"

"No, I think understand well enough." the younger Varley sharply cut in. "I'm not some cheap replacement for your dead daughter. I'm my _own_ person, and I have a life my own to lead. I don't need anyone else to tell me what my future is for me!"

"I understand that now… truly, I do. Please understand, your father and I have made many mistakes over the course of our lives, but you're not one of them."

"That never stopped you from treating me like one." Bernadetta bitterly spat back, much to the countess's further shame. "Maybe if _dear old dad_ spent a little less time tormenting me and his own damned people, he'd actually have his life in order instead of drowning in the midst of another plague that he probably caused himself!"

"It's not like that, Bernie! I realize this may not make up for the pain he's put you through, but Allocer has had a hard lot in life as well. As a Crestless child, he faced just as much, if not more pressure to keep the family name alive than you've had to endure yourself. He cares for you more than he lets on-"

"There you are again, making excuses for that bastard! He could murder somebody in cold blood and you still wouldn't bat an eye for it! I can't believe you!" Bernadetta painfully forced her eyes shut, taking a moment to release a heated breath before she could accidentally set off her parent's condition again. "Look… maybe your husband really _was_ a decent person before I was born, but guess what? People change all the time, and it's not always for the better. For all I know, he could just be a completely different person than he was back then."

"Perhaps Allocer has changed for the worse, but he's still the man I love deep inside. No matter how much he may have changed, the fact still remains that I owe him my life, and you owe him your very existence." Theresa resolutely while Bernadetta slowly made her way to the door behind her, the basket of roses still firmly in her hands.

"Believe what you want. As grateful as I am for you giving life to me, that doesn't mean I'm going to let you lord all over me like I'm not even human. It's clear you're not going to change my mind of anything, so I won't try to change yours either." the reclusive student coldly replied as she looked down at the carefully crafted basket in her hands. "…I still have a handful of roses left. I'm gonna go see Uncle Abel before the night is up. It's been far too long since I last came to see him."

"Then please, allow me to accompany you. I owe Abel much as well." Countess Varley humbly requested, receiving only a disgruntled silence and an unenthusiastic nod from her daughter in turn as she promptly stepped out into the wider garden. "I'm so sorry dear… there is little I can do to atone for my mistakes… but I will ensure your future is a bright one at any costs." the uplifted noble quietly vowed to herself before following after her emotionally distant child.

For her part, Bernadetta no longer had any intention of following whatever plan her parents had laid out for her life. By all accounts, Uncle Abel had been more of a father figure to him than her actual father, and her peers at Garreg Mach had all taught her what it meant to be part of a proper family in turn, even if none of them were related to her by blood. By all means, she felt more disconnected from her "actual" family than ever before. Perhaps most of all, as soon as she finished paying her respects to her departed uncle, the girl wanted nothing more than to return to the comfort of her room, and to spend whatever time she could by the side of the man she loved more than life itself.


	21. Chapter 20: Distant Traces

"…_I see. This is troubling news, to be sure."_

"_Indeed it is. And the more I learn of these mysterious disappearances, the more I begin to find traces of this… bizarre cult, the likes of which I've only seen-"_

"_You need not remind me…" _

"_Right, my apologies… I should know better than to bring up that old incident."_

…

"_It's been an exceptionally difficult week, hasn't it? Are you feeling well, brother?"_

"_I'm quite alright… There's nothing you need to worry about. If anything, I'm more concerned with-"_

"_Nonsense! It is my duty as the elder brother to lend you my aid when you clearly need it most!"_

"_Being born mere minutes before me hardly qualifies you as the older brother, Abel…"_

"_But of course it does, Alec! You should know better than to doubt your dear brother's infinite pool of wisdom!" _

…

"_I at least know my little brother well enough to know that you wouldn't drag me all the way out here for a simple elbow to lean on, am I correct?"_

"_I believe the saying was __**a shoulder to lean on**__, brother…"_

"_Ah, a paltry difference!"_

"_You never change, do you, Abel? I almost envy that carefree spirit of yours."_

"_Don't be so down, brother! You could probably use a bit of my optimism yourself, you know?" _

"_Perhaps…"_

"…_I came running the moment I heard what happened to Bernadetta. "_

"_Of course you did…"_

"_Is she-"_

"_The girl's condition is stable. She'll live."_

"_I'm relieved to hear that. I can hardly imagine what could have been running through the poor lass's mind during that fateful moment... these have been nothing short of turbulent times for all of us."_

"_The girl brought it upon herself. There's really no need for you to bother yourself with her."_

"_Brother! How could you say such a thing so casually?!"_

"_You don't get it, Abel. You never understood the true gravity of our situation."_

"_What's so hard to understand about her being your own flesh and blood? Bernadetta is a dear member of our family, and I could never see her any other way."_

"_But that girl… that demon has been the source of all our troubles… after all this time, can't you see that?" _

"_Now you're just being preposterous, Alec! I've told you time and time again; whether she has a Crest or not, your daughter is the precious key to our family's bright future! Don't you remember the promise we made when we were children?" _

"_Of course I do! I still hold on to our shared dream to this very day… but I fear I may have lost my grasp on that dream long ago… damn it all."_

"_Whatever could you mean by that?" _

"_Think about it, you fool! We've shared in the same hardships for so long… yet for all my tireless efforts; I could never measure up to the success you've attained! The people adore you but loathe me with all their being. You bestowed your very title unto me out of pity, but in my hands, our land only sunk into further disarray! And the disasters that fell upon me only magnified when SHE came into the picture…!"_

"_Alec, cease this nonsense! I gave up my position for you because I believed in you, and I still do to this day! You can't simply blame all your shortcomings on your own flesh and blood-"_

"_How can you still not understand?! Even as we speak, that damned girl is living off a life of luxury most can only dream of as she leeches off my hand with nothing to thank me for it…! And now that you've dug your nose into places you don't belong, I've left with no choice but to... gah… Perhaps everything would be better if our positions were reversed…"_

"_Well, perhaps I would understand if you'd simply take a moment to communicate with your brother!"_

"_I suppose you may be right for once… Abel? Would you be willing to do one last favor for me?"_

"_Anything, Alec… Just please, tell me what's truly on your mind."_

"…_I only wish that things could have been different between us. That this cursed daughter of mine had never been born…"_

"_Allocer…!"_

"_Abelard, please, turn around a moment… this rather difficult for me to say while you're staring at me so intently…"_

"_Of course… just know that you can always look to me for aid in your darkest hour..."_

* * *

"What did you… ah…?" Bernadetta fearfully muttered in her sleep, giving great alarm to the watchful professor lying by her side as her body violently jerked against his without a moment's notice. Seconds later, before Byleth could even begin to process his pupil's latest unconscious outburst, the timid noble jolted awake with the most agonized scream either of them had heard and tumbled out of her bed in a frenzied panic, making impact with the floor below with a resounding bang.

"Agh…! Bernadetta, what happened?!" the ex-mercenary called out in concern as he watched the girl in question frantically reach for her back in a state of utter hysteria.

"I… I have no idea…!" Bernadetta gasped in reply, frantically rummaging her hands behind her back as if an insect had crawled onto her body in her sleep. "I… I think I just got stabbed!"

"Come again?!" Byleth immediately shot up at the prospect of his student coming to grievous harm. "But how could that be possible…? I know for a fact that we were the only people in this room for the entire night!"

"I don't know… I don't know what's going on anymore!" the violet haired recluse's eyes darted all across the room as she continued to search for any physical signs of her injury. "By, I need you to check my back for me! Just lift my shirt up for me and tell me if you see anything wrong!"

"Now hold on just a minute…!" the hardened swordsman visibly recoiled at his student's brazen suggestion. "You know I can't just… it would be highly inappropriate for somebody in my position to even consider such a thing…"

"_**Bernadetta, before you fluster your professor any further, I need you to stop and focus for but a brief moment..."**_ the voice of Sothis weakly, yet sternly called out from within the depths of the girl's mind.

"_Sothis… you felt this too, didn't you?"_

"_**Of course I did. We share the same sensations after all."**_ the short statured Goddess was quick to confirm her host's concerns. _**"I must admit, I am just as perplexed as you are. That pain was every bit as real as you imagined it to be, yet visibly, both of our bodies were left undamaged in the ordeal…"**_

"_Y- you're right… I don't know what's going on with me anymore…"_ Bernadetta's eyes anxiously widened as she turned her attention to her bedside companion, who had fallen into an uncomfortably deep silence. All the while, the latter seemed to actively avert his gaze from the younger girl with a mixed impression barely visible on his dimly lit face. He seemed to be engaged in conversation with his version of Sothis as well.

"Uh, By, I think I'm okay now!" the girl hastily reassured in a vain attempt to assuage the professor's worries. "I know this might sound like I'm making things up, but I swear... I don't feel any blood running down my back, yet I could recognize the feeling all too well… you might not even register it at first, but when the pain comes, it just rushes over your entire body like a gust of searing wind… it's weird, though… the pain usually doesn't improve this quickly."

A pained sigh escaped the professor's lips as he continued to listen to his student's disturbingly detailed descriptions of the pain she'd just experienced. "…You had another dream last night, didn't you? You were mumbling in your sleep again; and rather loudly at that." Byleth hesitated to ask.

"Was it that obvious?" the confused girl awkwardly questioned, still not sure what to make of her unique situation. "Well yeah, I think so… but this was like none of the dreams I've had before. I could hear my uncle and the Count's voices as clear as day, but everything was so blurry, I could barely see what was going on… and right when the dream came to an end, that was when I felt-" she continued to explain, only to find her story inexplicably cut short when a familiar rush of colors swept past her eyes. The next thing she knew, she found herself sitting up on her bed once again, and her companion's arms protectively wrapped around her in a tight embrace as the room around them seemed to darken even further.

"…_**What in the world has gotten into you, Byleth? More importantly, why is my past self allowing this to go on unimpeded?"**_ Sothis wondered aloud as her host unconsciously gave herself into the caring embrace of her heart's desire.

"You should never have to suffer like this…" Byleth quietly muttered, eliciting a gasp of surprise from his lilac haired protégé as the latter realized that the two of them had leaped back in time once again.

"By, I- I swear I'm fine now…!"

"No, you're not. Try as you might to hide it, you've been visibly unwell and mentally unsound ever since you set out yesterday." the professor firmly shut down Bernadetta's attempts at false reassurance. "It's already been decided. For your safety, I cannot permit you to aid in our class's investigations any further."

"B- but why not?! I mean it, I'm not sick, or crazy, or anything like that!" Bernadetta was quick to protest. "There's still so much I can do to help, and everyone will have to work harder to make up for-"

"I will simply take up your workload in your stead. It's hardly any trouble for me." Byleth firmly cut into the girl's protests as he morosely broke away from their brief embrace to look her directly in the eye. "As far as everyone else is concerned, you'll be sick in bed for the remainder of the week."

"Wha- no! I can't do that! That's completely unfair to you!" the regretful Bernadetta's protests promptly rose in severity. "I can't just sit here alone all day, knowing you're off risking your life in the middle of this epidemic!"

"This is for your own good; there is so much going on that you simply don't understand. So long as these visions continue to plague you, you'll be much safer here-"

"You're right, I don't understand! But I'm the only one who _can_, and I didn't come this far just for everyone I know to tell me to stop trying!" Bernadetta angrily rebuked, eliciting a shamed grunt from her teal haired professor. "And what's this about visions? Is this about those weird dreams I've been having for the past few days? If you know anything about them, I beg you-"

"No… no, it's nothing you need to concern yourself with." Byleth promptly shook his head in denial as he hastily rose from the bed in an effort to deter his student's suspicions. "It's just as I've already told you: dreams are little more than abstract glimpses into scenarios that never have and never will happen."

"Stop lying to me so casually! It's hard enough for me to make sense of all this without you hiding things from me too!" the ever anxious time traveler sharply tugged on her teacher's arm the moment he attempted to step away from their conversation. "This is so unlike you… don't you trust me at all?" she desperately pleaded, leading into another awkward silence between the two as Byleth painfully averted his eyes from his impromptu interrogator.

"…I do. And it is precisely because I care about you that I am unwilling to expose you to any more misery than you've already endured." the ex-mercenary softly muttered, barely able to hide the look of shame on his face as he stared back halfheartedly. "I'll need you to trust me as well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few preparations to attend to before the day starts properly…"

"Wait! J- just think about this for a moment…!" Bernadetta pleaded once again, yanking on Byleth's arm even harder than before when the latter attempted to wrest himself free from her deceptively strong grasp. "Can you at least stay with me a little longer…? I just- we're_ both_ neck deep in the middle of unexplored territory now. All this time, I've felt _secure_ knowing exactly what the future would hold throughout the school year, but now that everything's being turned on its head… I don't even know what to believe anymore. I don't want you to do anything dangerous behind my back. I don't know what's going to happen if either of us makes even a single false step here, and that scares me more than anything else… I don't want you to leave me alone again."

"Everything is going to be okay… I promise." Byleth solemnly muttered as he slowly drew himself in to wrap the young girl in another warm embrace. "I'll be here as long as you need me to…"

"If you really meant that, you'd stay with me forever…" Bernadetta weakly buried her head into her professor's embrace with a sigh of defeat.

"I'm afraid that's not quite on the table for us… but perhaps if everything plays out just right…"

* * *

Before long, Bernadetta found herself restlessly pacing back and forth within the suffocating confines of her old room as the rays of the morning sun began to shine down upon her. Truth be told, this was precisely how she used to spend much of her time in the days of the war. At her own request, she would while herself away in the relative safety of the monastery while Byleth and her classmates were off scouting for information or fighting in skirmishes, only contributing when her aid was needed for the most crucial advances of the war. The very thought of her past negligence filled the girl with an immense feeling of guilt as the girl found herself repeating those same mistakes once again.

"…_I hate having nothing to do. It gets me thinking too much."_

"_**Then do you not think your time would be better spent taking decisive action than lamenting over every last decision you've made in your life?"**_ the voice of Sothis wearily rang out, no doubt frustrated by the repeated necessity to drag her host of the pit of her own despair.

"_I'm practically under a glorified house arrest, Sothis!"_ Bernadetta loudly snapped back, sharing in the tiny Goddess's overt irritation. _"What do you want me to do, waltz right out the front door and hike back to the nearest village by myself? If anyone catches me, they'll lock just lock me back in here and throw away the key for good measure!"_

"_**You could start by dropping that disrespectful tone of yours."**_ Sothis sharply countered. _**"If you can no longer support your comrades in their primary objective, perhaps there are other matters you could look into without their aid or knowledge." **_

"_And how am I supposed to do that?"_ the violet haired recluse paused in her tracks to open her bedroom window for some much needed fresh air. _"I'm the only one in the dark here, and I don't have a light to find my way out… By… you were never this overprotective before…"_

"_**Clearly, you've not been paying enough attention to your betrothed in our original time. This behavior of his is hardly unprecedented."**_

"_W- what are you talking about?"_ Bernadetta's cheeks lightly flushed in embarrassment as she questioned her companion's sudden claims. _"Byleth never-"_

"_**I know the inner workings of your professor's mind better than even the man himself. There was never a moment that passed by without him internally agonizing over your safety; all the while, you enabled him to spoil you as if you were some sort of overgrown child."**_

"_Spoiled, huh?" _the guilt ridden recluse quietly parroted, taken aback by the frankness of her companion's claims. _"I never thought about it like that. I must have been too self-absorbed to-" _Bernadetta's head promptly sank in realization, only for her moment of self-reflection to be cut short by a loud series of bangs from her bedroom almost shrill voice that followed was a sure indication of the identity of the ill-timed interloper.

"Bernadetta von Varley! Your sins are innumerable-"

"I know it's you, Monica. Just give me a second, alright?" the young Varley flatly interjected, thoroughly unfazed by the redhead's attempts to startle her as she unlocked the door to find the girl in question bearing an elaborately designed tray full of tea equipment in both hands and a mildly demoralized expression spread across her face.

"Aw, you're no fun, Bernie!" Monica shot a disappointed look at her fellow student as she proceeded to place her tray down on the nearest dresser. "And after I went through all this trouble to bring you breakfast too."

"Ha, sorry." Bernadetta let out a light chuckle at the girl's lively antics. "I guess I really could use a pick-me-up right about now, considering how I skipped out on dinner last night… again. That does smell awfully appealing now that I'm on an empty stomach."

"You really need to shake off that habit of yours, but I'm sure this'll fill you right up in no time. Monica added with a disapproving shake of her head as she bent down to snatch a small handful of pastries off the tray for herself. "This exclusive Hresvelg blend was imported straight from the imperial capital, you know? And these specially baked cakes are simply divine!"

"Well gee, I wasn't expecting anything this fancy so early… you'd better not eaten most of this on your way here, though." the young Varley sternly eyed down her compatriot while the latter proceeded to messily scarf down the cookies that were originally meant for _her _consumption.

"Aw, come on, I swear I'd never do such a thing!" Monica protested unconvincingly between bites.

"Should I even ask why you're the one bringing me breakfast in the first place? It was usually Rowan that brought me my meals while I still used to live here."

"Oh yeah, I guess you haven't heard yet. That old butler of yours has been kept busy prepping the manor for new arrivals all morning." the Black Eagle informally explained before forcing the concoction of baked sweets down her throat with a loud gulp. "This Varley plague has created a whole lot of unlucky orphans over the past couple of weeks, and Flayn's hoping to give them all a place to stay while she's still organizing their transfer to Garreg Mach. You can bet your old man was pretty peeved off when Flayn made the request."

"I guess he never was the charitable type… it's a good thing Flayn-or at least her brother can pull rank on him." Bernadetta unconsciously smirked at the thought of her father's helplessness in this situation before directing her attention back towards Monica, who continued to awkwardly linger in the room with an unnerving smirk of her own.

"…So, do you have anything better to do, are you just going to stand there and watch me eat?"

"Don't you wanna tell me about what you learned last night, Bernie?" Monica suddenly asked, now suddenly lacking the playful tone she always leaned on so heavily.

"Last night…? I- I don't know what you're talking about-" Bernadetta instinctively denied the redhead's inquiry, only to freeze on the spot when the latter leaned forth to place a hand over her shoulder.

"Look, as fun as it is to play the whole feigning ignorance game with you, I'd rather cut right to the point." Monica calmly stated as she, without warning, proceeded to swiftly run her other hand across her face to reveal a single in-like streak in the shape of a teardrop beneath her left eye. Within moments, the girl's skin turned an unnatural shade of white, and her signature red hair seamlessly shifted into a brighter orange hue that Bernadetta recognized all too well. "Ah, I was getting _so_ tired of waiting for you to put two and two together. Us half breeds have gotta stick together, you know?"

"Y-you're…!" the fearful recluse slowly backed away from the newly transformed Agarthan as she struggled to form a proper response. Realizing how useless it would be to continue to dodge the ensuing conversation, Bernadetta swallowed a large lump in her throat before she dared to open her mouth again. "So… you too, huh? You're… well, you know."

"Ayep. It sure took you long enough to find out." Monica let out a light chuckle in an effort to help ease her friend's rising anxiety. "You know, I never thought I'd run into anyone just like me back at that old academy, but as soon as I found out about you-"

"W- wait, _you_ knew about my bloodline all this time?!" Bernadetta exclaimed in a loud panic, now utterly horrified by the implications of the psychotic Agarthan's awareness of her. "W- why… how did you even figure that out before I could?! And for how long?! How many people did you tell -"

"Relax, Bernie! I know better than to yap on about someone's deepest darkest secrets for the entire world to hear; especially not another half breed like myself."

"Okay, but how-"

"Isn't it obvious? I might have had a little help on the matter, but the answer was in your blood the entire time!" Monica nonchalantly continued on as a mild look of embarrassment formed across her pale face. "Boy, I really dodged a bullet when I was first called in to 'take care of you'. You're lucky you're a competent fighter, you know?"

"So that's why you wanted to get closer to me after you tried to ambush me in that forest…!" Bernadetta instinctively wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, mentally berating her own lack of foresight as her eyes rapidly darted all around the room in search of a means of defending herself. "So… now what? You've probably here to kill me now that I know too much, aren't you? I- I'm warning you, I'm not going down without a-"

"Hey now, we're _better_ than those inferior beings, Bernie." Monica promptly retorted, sporting a greatly offended expression as she proceeded to inch closer towards her fellow half breed. "We don't turn on our own kind at the slightest inconvenience."

"Inferior beings? You don't mean-" the lilac haired recluse quietly asked, unsure what to make of the other girl's dramatic shift in demeanor.

"Who else could I be talking about? You've seen exactly what happens to those of us who try to live out in the open, right?" Monica sharply reminded, looking as if she were attempting to hold back tears for a brief moment as her physical form reverted back to her more familiar redheaded disguise. "I think it's all pretty stupid. We look just like everyone else, don't we? Yet when we're not being looked down upon by our own people, those inferior beings are actively hunting us down like mindless beasts! It's like there's no place for us in this world!"

"I think I understand how you feel… I'd be lying if I said I never felt alone in the middle of this vast, unknown world we all call home." Bernadetta sorrowfully admitted whilst her fellow half breed silently walked by to peer her head out the open window, taking in the rays of the morning sun in all its glory. "But still, I don't think it's right to look down on everyone else just because they're different from us. You've spent a lot of time with Byleth, Claude, Flayn, and the other students, haven't you? You should know what they're like, and they're not out to hurt us or anything."

"I'll admit, it's actually been fun hanging around you guys all this time…" Monica reluctantly acknowledged, breathing a loud sigh out the window before turning to face her fellow half breed with a serious expression on her face. "But tell me, how fast do you think their views of us would turn if they knew what we really were? Even if they did accept us, a few good apples aren't enough to make up for the rotten tree they've all fallen from."

"That's…!" Bernadetta opened her mouth to object; only to find herself unable to refute the redhead's piercing argument. "W- well, what makes you think our 'own' people are much better? You should know all about how they've terrorized Fódlan throughout the years, and the countless lives they're still claiming to this day!"

"I don't know much you know about the Society, but they're the ones that have our best interests at heart, and that's what matters most. At least, that's the only thing I know for real." Monica added under breath, looking unsure of herself for but a brief moment before finally walking away from the open windowsill. "There's a storm brewing, Bernie, and you need to know who your friends are before it strikes."

"…I know _exactly_ who my friends are, Monica, but I think you should take your own advice too. Even I could tell the people you're working under don't care about you as an individual."

"Ah, you have no idea what you're talking about…" Monica swiftly averted her gaze from her purple haired friend as she uncharacteristically stuttered out her response. "I know you've probably had this drilled into your head by now, but you'd better make sure no one else finds out about your bloodline. Not just for yourself, but for everyone you care about too. Now if you'll excuse me, we both have plenty of things to take care of."

With one last cursory glance towards her fellow half breed, the Agarthan assassin hastily abandoned the room without another word, leaving Bernadetta alone to ponder over their conversation in contemplative silence.

"_**That hapless girl has no comprehension of the ill fate that awaits her."**_

"_Yeah… everything about her is starting to make a little more sense now, but that just leaves more questions in their wake."_ Bernadetta solemnly agreed with her godly companion's grim observations. _"Well, I guess I'd better not let my breakfast go to waste. Whatever's left of it, anyway." _

Putting aside the convoluted web of mysteries she had entangled herself in, the girl simply sighed in exhaustion as she allowed herself to be drawn in by the sweet aroma of the Hresvelg blend that was prepared for her.

"I'm surprised this thing is still steaming after all this time…" the girl noted aloud whilst she poured a large cup of the drink for herself, even recoiling in discomfort from the intense heat emanating from the tea.

"_Perhaps you should consider checking inside the second drawer from the top, there? You may find something that will better suit your dignified senses."_

"Who just said that?!" Bernadetta's body jolted up in shock as a familiar, menacing voice emerged from within her mind, nearly causing her to spill her tea over in the process. In short order, the girl's eyes widened in realization the moment she recognized the source of the sudden disturbance. _"No… no, no, no, I already did exactly what you asked! What else do you even want from me?!"_

"_**Please, control yourself, Bernadetta. No matter how compelling that silver tongue of hers is, you mustn't allow her to get under your skin."**_ Sothis urgently warned as the voice of Lilith let out a quiet, yet bone chilling laugh from within the depths of the frightened recluse's mind.

"_Oh, what could possibly be the matter, Bernie Bear? You were so assertive speaking to Kronnie just moments ago, yet a disembodied voice in your head is enough to scare you out of your wits?" _

"_Shut up! I don't want to talk to you right now! If you're here to give me another Agarthan history lesson, I'm not interested!"_

"_Come now, even you should understand the importance of knowing one's own history, yes? I'm sure the discovery of your true heritage must have been remarkably enlightening for you. You must be eager to learn more-"_

"_Like hell I am! I'd rather have gone the rest of my life without knowing any of that…!"_

"_I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you. You're far from the only one who would stand to suffer from your ignorance… why, you haven't even told your dear professor about yourself, have you? Such a selfish, selfish girl."_

"_I'm not… I-I swear I intend to tell him eventually…! I just…"_

"_You're what? Too scared to see how your beloved's view of you would magically change once the truth comes to light? I can't say I'm surprised… but it would be foolish of you to keep running away from reality forever. Ignorance is worse than death, Bernie."_

"Ignorance is worse than death, huh?" Bernadetta found herself pondering over the witch's thinly veiled warning out loud. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Lilith's words ultimately rang true, as her earlier guidance helped push her towards the truth she'd been searching for so desperately.

"…_**It pains me that I cannot fully listen in on this conversation, though perhaps you should humor the witch's request for now. This may be the only viable lead we have at the moment, but be alert. We may very well be walking right into a deadly trap."**_

"_You don't need to tell me twice. I'm taking every word out of this witch's mouth with at least a dozen grains of salt."_ the ever anxious time traveler nodded in agreement with Sothis's words of caution as her gaze slowly turned in the direction of drawer Lilith had directed her towards. _"Then again, there can't be too much harm in opening a simple drawer… Right?"_

…

"_What in the… how stupid do you think I am_?!" Bernadetta furiously exclaimed as she reached into the drawer to reveal a small packet filled to the brim with an almost clear, white powder._ "Do you honestly expect me to poison myself on the spot just because an imaginary voice told me to?!"_

"_**If you'd settle down for just a second, you may find this display isn't quite what it seems-" **_the voices of Sothis and Lilith unknowingly spoke in unison, which only served to further alarm the frightened recluse.

"_Oh, I think I know my plants well enough to recognize something that would kill me when ingested!"_ Bernadetta sharply rebuked, wasting no time snatching up the mysterious substance with the intent of dumping the contents out of her room's open window.

"_Recall, if you would, the conversation you had regarding your connection to the Morning Star with your mother last night."_

"_The… Morning Star?"_

"_Yes, that's the title we Agarthans refer to Sahrius as: a shining beacon that will one day lead us out of the shadowy depths we've been cast into. I'm sure you must already realize that the good Countess has yet to tell you everything she knows." _

"_Well… yeah, I can't say I'm surprised. I figured that woman would sweep the truth under the rug to protect her husband's reputation. And she clearly wanted to distance herself from that insane cult she ran away from too..."_

"_Cult is a rather strong word, don't you think? We'll attend to the matter of your father in due time, but I must assure you, the gifts passed down through Sahrius's bloodline are all too real, and tantalizingly scarce at that."_

"_Gifts? The only gift I inherited from this supposed dead god of yours is a massive target on my head!" _Bernadetta fiercely retorted as she finally approached the window. _"It's just like I've been told; my bloodline really is cursed!"_ the girl concluded, precariously hanging the bag of mysterious powder over the ledge. However, as much as she wished to rid herself of the toxic substance then and there, the sight of a curious, pitch black butterfly on the windowsill quickly captured her attention instead. For reasons unknown, the very sight of the winged insect nearly made the student sick to her stomach, forcing her to retract her arm back inside as the voice of Lilith flared in her mind once again.

"_It is vital that you come to understand this gift, no matter the hardships that come with it. Consider for a moment; what you see as a great curse is the only chance you have into discerning the truth you so desperately seek. Aren't you the least bit curious about the strange, lifelike dreams you've experienced throughout your life? Even a simpleton should be able to draw a connection between those visions and the tales of the Morning Star's powers."_

"_H- how do I know you're not making this up…?" _Bernadetta hesitantly asked, her heart suddenly racing at an uncomfortable pace. If she could see the witch's face right now, it would almost certainly be staring down on her with a condescending smirk. _"I paid enough attention last night to know that Sahrius had the ability to see into the future. I may not have recognized every last detail I've seen, but I clearly remember seeing events that already took place on several occasions…"_

"_The flow of time is hardly limited to a single direction, mind you. It's more akin to a spider's web; a vast, intricate framework of interconnecting paths and divergent possibilities. The visions you've seen are no mere illusions, but rather one-way windows, allowing you to witness moments that would otherwise be lost to history. You can re-experience cherished memories cruelly robbed from you by the passage of time, or see the world through the eyes of another."_

"_So… for instance, I could go back and speak with my uncle again just before he died?" _Bernadetta nervously asked, her eyes widening in realization at the implication of the power hidden inside her._ "Can I even control what I see?"_

"_By all means, that sounds like the perfect place to start. Just be aware that you cannot act, only watch."_

"_But how do I know you're even telling me the truth? There's no guarantee-" _

"_You're right; there is no guarantee any of this is true. It's a smart move not to immediately take such outrageous claims at face value. It's better to see the truth with your own eyes than to blindly rely on the words of others, wouldn't you say?"_

The witch's words weighed heavily on Bernadetta's soul as her gaze warily wandered throughout the room, deliberating whether or not to mix the seemingly toxic substance in her hand into her cup of tea.

"_Permit me to ask: What is it you desire to accomplish once this story of yours comes to a close?"_

"E- excuse me?" the lavender haired time traveler muttered aloud, taken aback by the unexpected inquiry.

"_You've no need to hide your utmost desires from yourself. You long for brighter, simpler days, long lost to you by circumstances out of your control, yes? Even now, it seems your battle against fate has been an uphill one thus far." _

"_Wh- what does any of this matter to you…?"_

"_You tell me: can you look yourself in the eye and confidently say you've done everything in your power to fulfill your dreams? Or have your actions-or lack thereof-only served to hinder the purpose you and your loved ones have struggled so arduously for?" _

"_I-"_

"_I think we both know the answer to that already. It's not too late to change, though. I, for my part, am entirely willing to help you reclaim the time that you have lost, and so much more."_

The stunning accuracy of Lilith's evaluation left Bernadetta at an uncomfortable loss for words. By this point, the overbearing condescendence in the witch's voice had long been replaced by one of alarming compassion. The sheer contrast of the situation only served to terrify the girl more than a showing of pure malice ever could.

"_The fruit of knowledge lies in your hands. What becomes of your fate is up to you now."_

"…_Okay, fine. I still don't trust you, but I'm going to take a chance on this."_ Bernadetta finally relented. As much as it went against her better judgment, the girl obediently returned to her desk and emptied the contents of the suspicious packet into her tea. "…I'm going to look like the most gullible fool on the planet if this ends up killing me."

With the dubious concoction finally complete, the would-be seeress spent a few tense moments blankly staring into the pit of liquid darkness presented to her before finally swallowing her fear and downing the drink in one fell swoop. I took but an instant for a vivid wave of exhaustion to wash over her entire body, leaving Bernadetta with only a few precious seconds to weakly hobble to the edge of her bed before her consciousness forcefully faded away from her.

* * *

_When she next opened her eyes, Bernadetta was understandably shocked to find herself tightly tucked underneath her blankets once again. What's more, the morning rays of the sun outside her window had been inexplicably replaced with a crashing torrent of rainfall pouring down on the manor from every possible angle. Stranger still, a simple downward glance would reveal that she was no longer dressed in her usual academy uniform, but rather a snug violet nightgown she instantly recognized from her old childhood days._

_Naturally, her first instinct was to get up and examine the state of the room for herself. For all she knew, many hours may have flown by since she passed out against the side of her bed, leaving one of the manor's servants or her fellow students with enough time to discover what had happened and give her a proper place to sleep. _

_Yet true to Lilith's word, Bernadetta found herself unable to perform even the simplest of movements, or even utter a single sound, leaving her to simply stare blankly at her surroundings as a dull, yet constant headache seemed to plague her every waking moment. It was a surreal experience, to say the least; to be trapped in one's own body, yet lack the ability to properly command it._

_After what felt like an eternity of agonizing numbness, however, the monotony was suddenly broken when the door to the bedroom seemed to open of its own accord, revealing a dear figure that Bernadetta had not laid eyes on for the longest time. Though the older man's mane of dark purple hair had clearly been drenched by the shower of rainfall raging on outside, his kindly demeanor was all too recognizable to the bedridden girl awaiting his arrival. _

"_Uncle Abel! You're back!" Bernadetta's voice called out, sounding slightly more youthful than she was normally familiar with._

"_Ah ha ha! I'm sorry to disappear on you for so long, my little princess! I understand you've been feeling under the weather for quite a while… pun half intended. I'm afraid my travels have kept me busier than ever as of late, but I do believe I've brought a little something that might help make things up for you-" _

"_Is that what I think it is?!" Bernadetta's eyes eagerly widened in anticipation as her uncle began to reach into his personal satchel._

"_Ha ha, your eyesight is sharp as ever, I see! Indeed, I've finally come across the missing entry of our favorite adventure series: Balduq's Prison! You know, there just happens to be a character in this story that reminds me a lot of you-"_

"_Uncle! You promised you wouldn't read ahead again!" Bernadetta slammed her hands down on her blanket in frustration. "We were supposed to read through the next Travelogue together!"_

"_Ah, caught blue handed once again. I can never quite seem to help myself, can I?" _

"_I think you mean red handed, Uncle…" the bedridden Varley privately noted as Abel let out an amused chuckle at her disappointed antics._

_With an apologetic bow, the older noble gently closed the door behind him before proceeding to comfortably stride over to his ill niece's bedside. "Now before we begin, I simply have to know; how many good friends have you made for yourself since my last visit? It's been so long since we've last seen each other, I'm sure you must have quite a few stories of your own to share, eh?"_

_Though her uncle's question was perfectly innocent, Bernadetta's spirited demeanor seemed to instantly fade the moment it was presented to her. "I- I don't want to talk about that right now… let's just go ahead and dive right into the new book. I'm sure that'll be a lot more interesting than listening to me talk about my boring shut-in life, right?" _

"_Now, now, your discerning uncle's eye can tell there's something bothering you, Bernie." The older noble was quick to pick up on his niece's inner turmoil. "You know you don't have to be afraid to tell me anything. If you're hurt at all, please don't hesitate to-"_

"_N- no, I'm fine. It's just…" the bedridden Varley weakly stammered, too afraid to look her uncle in the eye. "I've tried… I really tried to follow your advice, but I just don't see the point of any of this."_

"_Ah, I see…" Abel quietly whispered to himself, adopting a grim expression as he instantly perceived the intense pain his niece was desperately hiding in her eyes. "If you don't mind me asking, would you be willing to tell me what happened? Has my brother been giving you a hard time again? I'll be quite sure to give him a piece of my mind in due time."_

"_Well… It's not just one thing, Uncle… if anything, I think I might be the biggest problem here." _

"_Come now, I'm sure that's not true at all." the older noble was quick to refute his niece's claims with a disapproving shake of his head._

"_Then why does it feel like the whole world is out to get me?" Bernadetta instantly rebuked, further averting her gaze in the hopes of hiding the stream of tears forming in her eyes. "I know you've always wanted me to get out and see the world for myself, but whenever I step out of this room, I'm just inviting pain to come out and follow me wherever I go. I've tried to make friends as you asked, but they always end up hating me or getting ripped away from me…I'm just too different from everyone, and even then, if they're not with me forever, what's the point of getting close to anyone?"_

"_So that's how you feel, is it? Listen closely, Bernie: it's true that no matter how much you care or love for someone, there inevitably comes a time when life will pull you apart." Abel grimly admitted. "You may not even get the chance to say goodbye to them. But that's no reason to avoid people altogether."_

"_Then why bother… doesn't it hurt to lose the ones you love? The only companionship I need is from the lovely casts of characters in the books I've read. I know I can always come back to see them whenever I want… I don't want-" _

"_You don't want friends that won't be around tomorrow, is that it? I'm afraid I don't quite see things the same way." the wandering noble gently disagreed as he slowly bent forward to wrap his young niece in a familial embrace. "The joy that comes from merely spending time with those you cherish far exceeds the pain that comes from losing them. And if you can find it in yourself to open up to others, you may find you have more common than you may think."_

"_But you still have to live with the knowledge that they'll leave you alone someday…"_

"_Then instead of despairing over something you can't change, you should enjoy the time you do have to its fullest extent. And when the time does come for you to go your separate ways, just know that you're not at fault for what happens."_

"…_Do you really think I can do it? It's not like I have any friends to speak of right now."_

"_If anyone I know is __**Abel **__to live up to the task, it's absolutely you, Bernie! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Abel confidently reassured before erupting into an uncontrollable fit of laughter from his own joke, one that quickly proved infectious as Bernadetta joined in on her uncle's amusement._

* * *

"_My, what a touching memory; it almost brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it."_

The voice of Lilith rang out from within Bernadetta's mind as the girl drowsily awoke from her trance-like state. Much to the lilac haired noble's dismay, she was no longer reliving the time she spent with her uncle and was firmly back in the present day, still uncomfortably leaning against the bottom of her bed. The morning sun was once again shining upon her room, not a single soul was in sight, and it seemed as if no time had passed at all since the girl had fallen asleep._ "That was completely unreal. I've had dreams like this so many times before, but they were never this… clear."_

"_Well, it's nice to know you enjoyed this little experience. The sensations, the words, the feelings… I trust you should need no other proof that all of this is real." _

"_This is still so hard to believe, but yes… I remember the conversation I had with my uncle clearly. That was… that was the last time I ever saw him before he died." _Bernadetta bitterly reminisced as her gaze instinctively wandered to the bottom of her bedside. A large pit began to form in the girl's stomach as her mind wandered dangerously close to a chilling conclusion. "_So then… then the dream I had this morning must have been…"_

"_I'm sure you don't need me to spell out the obvious for you. Though with your inexperience, it's hardly surprising that the ensuing vision was a total blur; a typical result that comes with witnessing a person's final moments, mind you." _

"_And when I felt that dagger wrench its way into my back?"_

"_Indeed, as you've painfully learned, the sensations you experience during your visions are an uncompromising double edged sword. Both the pain and pleasure of your subject are yours to bear, whether you like it or not."_

"_So that's it." Bernadetta wearily rose up from the floor, visibly struggling to comprehend the events of the two visions she had seen recently. "I always had this sneaking suspicion in the back of my head… it was around half a year since I last saw Uncle Abel when I was told a group of bandits had killed him on his travels…"_

"_Well, then? What do you plan to do now with the knowledge you've garnered? _

"_I- I don't know… Am I just supposed to convince everyone that an important governmental official murdered his brother in cold blood just because I saw it in a dream? They'd think I'm more insane than I already am from hearing your damned voice in my head…!"_

Bernadetta allowed her gaze to aimlessly wander around the room in search of the slightest sign telling her what to do next. Though the girl knew deep down that she had no involvement in the incident that took her uncle's life, a much larger part of her couldn't help but feel an overbearing sense of responsibility towards the tragedy regardless.

While her mind continued to wander between the pair of visions she'd experienced, a sudden surge of recollection seemed to spark within Bernadetta's body. Ever mindful, the girl cautiously strolled over to the other side of her bed, bent down, and placed her hands over a subtle indentation on the wooden frame, pulling back to reveal a secret compartment containing a massive collection of novels lying within, just as she remembered them. Chief among these books was a proudly displayed series of travelogues from a famous crimson haired adventurer.

"_Yes, that's right… You always used to dream of marrying someone like Adol Christin growing up, didn't you? A man of few words, yet also an incredible source of kindness and inspiration."_

"_Ah, shut up…! Stop pretending to know so much about my personal life!"_ Bernadetta instinctively protested, her cheeks growing hot from the now teasing voice prodding her mind. _"B- besides, I was young, and lonely, and Adol's just a fictional character… that doesn't actually mean anything!"_

"_Oh, settle down, you. It's a childish prospect, yet there's just something remarkably precious about it. In fact, doesn't Adol's character sound an awful lot like someone we both know dearly? In the end, it seems you still pursued that childhood dream of yours to its logical conclusion… but it was never meant to last, was it?"_

"_S- stop… you can't know anything about that…! If this was all just some elaborate scheme for you to mock me, I don't want any more part in this!"_ Bernadetta frantically demanded as she forced the compartment shut with a resounding slam.

"_If I wanted to embarrass you, I'd direct your attention to the location of the numerous obscene novels you've written involving yourself and-"_

"No, no, no, no, no…! I can't hear you!" the self-conscious time traveler hastily cut in, even physically bringing her hands to her ears in an attempt to drown out the witch's voice prodding her mind. Much to the girl's surprise, her last ditch maneuver actually seemed to work, leading to a period of unsteady silence as Lilith's voice seemed to vanish altogether.

Whatever relief Bernadetta may have felt from the disappearance of her mysterious tormenter swiftly vanished when a loud slam of her bedroom door promptly threw the girl out of her panicked stupor. Too startled for words, the violet haired noble hurriedly paced over to the forcefully shut door, paying no regard to the specially prepared meal still remaining on her desk as she cautiously leaned her head into the hallway to investigate the source of the racket.

"Wh- what the hell…?" the already on edge girl inadvertently muttered aloud upon catching sight of an eerily recognizable cloaked figure lingering down the hall. That small outburst was all it took for the latter to catch wind of Bernadetta's presence in turn. Swallowing a heavy gulp, all the girl could make of the uncanny visage was a menacing smirk as the figure slowly craned its head to look her directly in the eye.

Then, without so much as a single word, the cloaked figure abruptly broke eye contact from Bernadetta and proceeded to wander further down the hall, as if it were beckoning the apprehensive time traveler to follow after it.

"There's no way… how long could that witch have–are we seriously doing this again?!" Bernadetta mentally fumbled over her own thoughts as she, against her better judgment, nervously set off in pursuit of what appeared to be the same visage of Lilith she encountered back in Weiler. The girl made especially sure to remain quiet throughout the ensuing chase, so as not to attract any more unwanted attention while the cloaked figure seemed to lead her on a convoluted series of twists and turns across the empty halls of the Varley manor.

The pair's eventual destination left a sickening feeling in Bernadetta's heart the moment she stepped foot in the familiar hallway leading to her mother's room. Perhaps noticing this, the visage of Lilith turned to face her with another sinister grin before disappearing into the old, worn door the reclusive Varley always dreaded coming near.

"_Not this… this is too much… why did you have to bring me here, of all places?" _Bernadetta internally fretted, her feet firmly rooted to the spot as she hesitated to even lay eyes on the darkened room the witch had entered. Even standing in the general area of the old door was enough to draw forth years' worth of painful memories to the forefront of the girl's fragile mind.

"_**-etta..? Are my words even reaching you anymore?! **_

"_Wagh-er, Sothis, is that you?!" _Bernadetta physically recoiled at the sound of the Goddess's voice abruptly emerging from her mind once again._ "Where in the world did you vanish off to all this time?! _

"_**I could ask you the same question. You suddenly stopped replying to me again while you were still speaking with that witch."**_

"_Wait, really? I-I can't believe I didn't notice anything… Oh, please tell me you at least saw the dream I had of-"_

"_**Yes, yes, I witnessed that much with total clarity. The bond you had shared with your uncle was truly a touching sight to behold. The only question here is why the witch was so intent on showing you these visions in the first place…"**_

"_Beats me… and from the strange way she led me around the halls of the manor without running into anyone, it's like she knows the exact layout of this place too…"_

"_**Whatever the case, it's far too early to start throwing speculation to the wind. The witch disappeared into that bizarre room over there, right? Why don't you follow after her and see what she wants you to discover next?" **_

"_I… I can't…"_ Bernadetta weakly shook her head in trepidation. _"Whatever I see in there is just going to do us more harm than good."_

"**I understand that your experiences beyond that door were wrought with intense suffering, yet at the same time, these painful memories are clearly our only key to discerning the truth about your past."**

"No one ever said the truth was always pleasant, huh? I guess I'd better get this over with…" Bernadetta meekly admitted as she reluctantly made her way into the lost corner of memories she dreaded so greatly. What lied beyond the door was a barren, run down space that seemed as though it had not been touched for years on end. The walls and floors ran amok with mold and cracks, the windows had been haphazardly sealed shut with a scattered array of wooden planks, and the visage of Lilith was nowhere to be found.

"_Wh- where'd that witch go…? I swear, I saw her come in here with my own eyes-"_

"_**Okay, I believe you! I know full well that you are the only one capable of perceiving Lilith's presence, but that's hardly important right now." **_Sothis firmly stepped in before her host could spiral into another panicked outburst. "_**What can you tell me about this…" **_the goddess's tone promptly shifted to one of abject disgust as a variety of rotten stenches invaded her senses._** "What is this thoroughly unpleasant pigpen of a place?!"**_

"_Well, I can't say I'm surprised no one bothered to take care of this hellhole for so long…"_ Bernadetta readily agreed with her companion's negative assessment of the abandoned room. Her entire body seemed to involuntarily shudder with every step she took forward. _"This… this is where I was always taken to meet with the prospective husbands Count Varley set up for me. As you can imagine, I never wanted anything to do with them, so he'd often have to drag me kicking and screaming all the way here…"_

"_**I see… "**_

"_Some were right around my age, while others were clearly much older than me, but every meeting felt the same. I didn't love any of them; I hated being locked in this cramped space with some stranger I've never met before… Even back then, I could tell they didn't care about who I was as a person; only the family name I bore, and the Crest that came with it. I had no interest in being dragged off to some other territory by some random noble, so I always made it a point to make myself look seem as unpresentable as possible. It didn't exactly help the nasty rumors spreading about me, and dear old dad-in-name-only was never happy about the constant stream of rejections that followed… but it was the only way I knew to keep myself safe."_

"_**Such a despicable practice… I know all too well how common arranged marriages are all throughout Fódlan, but this…"**_

"_Yeah, well it gets worse if you can believe it."_ Bernadetta casually admitted, too deep into her tale of reminiscence to feel anything but apathy towards her previous situation. _"This happened around two years ago… I was forced out of my room to meet another suitor as usual, but this situation was vastly different. As usual, the Count locked the door behind me as soon as I came into the room, but to my surprise, the suitor awaiting me was one I'd already met before. Only this time… he came bearing less than pure intentions for me."_

**…**

The Goddess and her host fell into an uncomfortable period of silence as the latter's gaze slowly shifted towards a decayed bed lying in the distant corner of the room.

"_**You don't have to continue this story any further-"**_

"_I can still remember it clearly…" _Bernadetta carried on regardless of her companion's words of concern._ "I was always afraid this could happen to me, but I never thought it could happen so suddenly… and the moment I saw blood, I just… I completely lost myself." _The girl forced her eyes shut, clenching her fist tightly as if she were gripping a weapon while she forced herself to inch closer towards the solitary bed. _"Looking back, I think that was the first time I ever personally took a life… and it was terrifying. You can probably imagine how furious the Count was to find the mutilated body of his latest suitor splayed across the floor too… Ever since then, he just seemed to completely give up on me…"_

"_Why feel so ashamed for striking out against a threat to your own life? It's only natural for all living beings to use any means necessary to protect their livelihoods._

"_You... what are you trying to accomplish by making me relive my most hated memories?! There's a good reason I've tried so hard to forget about them!"_

"_You know you'll never reach the truth by sweeping your past under the rug, right? There is still so much you don't know about this world."_

"_But still-"_

"_**Bernadetta, I think you should take heed Lilith's advice for now. Whatever her reasons, she clearly had a purpose for bringing you here."**_

"…_Alright, I'll play along with you a little longer. So what do you want to show me this time? Somehow, I doubt I'll learn anything of value by reliving one of the many disastrous interviews I had to experience in this room."_

"_Has it ever occurred to you that your mother always resided just down the hall from this very room? She practically had a front row view to the torture your father put you through on so many occasions and allowed it to go on unimpeded while she leeched a life of luxury out his hands… does that sound alright to you?"_

"_N- no, of course not! I already figured this out for myself a long time ago!"_

"_So you have. Even still, that woman has dedicated an entire lifetime to keeping secrets from you. Why, with her limited knowledge of the dark arts, she even went as far as to place a magic seal on you in the hope of preventing your abilities from manifesting."_

"_I've already seen all the good that did for me… I'm not about to sleep on that filthy bed if that's what you're asking, though." Bernadetta hastily added, her gaze transfixed on the offending piece of furniture with a look of utter revulsion._

"_Luckily for you, that won't be necessary. In the most ideal circumstances, you shouldn't need to knock yourself out to experience another vision."_

"_That's one weight off my shoulders. So… what should I do?"_

"_I'll need you to root yourself in one spot and center your thoughts on Allocer von Varley. So long as you don't end up disappointing me, the rest should come naturally."_

_"I have to focus on him…?"_ Bernadetta uneasily questioned, all too anxious at the thought of the unpleasant vision that was sure to come._ "I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"_ the aspiring seeress let out a sigh of dismay as she closed her eyes, clearing her mind of all thoughts aside from her father just as Lilith instructed.

* * *

_This time, the trance-like state Bernadetta fell into was quickly cut short by the sound of urgent footsteps racing down the hallway. When she opened her eyes again, the girl was surprised to find that she was the one racing through the halls of the manor. However, the distinctively male voice panting with every step was a clear indication that the time traveler was no longer seeing the world through her own body; a truly uncanny sensation, to say the least._

_Within a few short seconds, the unknown body Bernadetta unwittingly played host to arrived in the hallway leading to her mother's room, where, of all people, a lone Agarthan dark mage clad in one of their signature bird masks seemed to be standing guard over a particular doorway. The words that came out of the host body soon after made his identity all too disturbingly clear._

_"You there! I demand to be let in immediately! I will not have you desecrate my wife for another one of your maniacal experiments!"_

_"Count Allocer..." the solitary mage calmly stepped forth to address the distressed nobleman. "I believe we told you not to interfere with our proceedings while-" the masked Agarthan attempted to explain, only for the purple haired official to wordlessly shove him out of the way with an annoyed grunt._

_Suffice to say, the thought of experiencing the past through her father's eyes was nothing short of bizarre for Bernadetta, but what lay beyond the door somehow managed to serve as a greater surprise for the girl. She instantly recognized the room as the same space her present self was witnessing these events from. Only, the room itself was clearly in much better shape than it was in her time, and even the door leading into it was still firmly attached to its hinges. More unexpected still, was the sheer abundance of dark mages flooding the entire room, all clad in the same distinct uniforms. _

_Chief among them was an unfamiliar, yet visibly striking woman who was quick to notice Allocer's presence the moment he barged into the strange convention of mages. She possessed a long head of hair with a unique rose-like tint to it, but what was most apparent was the revealing, low cut dress she proudly wore that greatly accentuated her unnaturally ample bust._

_"What is the meaning of this madness, Cornelia?!"_

_"Why, if it isn't the false minister himself. What business do you have with-" the sultry woman greeted with a shrewd smirk, only for the furious Allocer to cut her short as he rapidly closed in on her._

_"I've no interest in standing on ceremony, harlot. What have you done with Theresa?!"_

_"Never fear, Lady Eleanor is being safely attended to by our finest specialists as we speak." Cornelia calmly informed, directing the irritated nobleman's attention to the distant corner of the room, where the woman he sought was tucked comfortably in a large bed, apparently blissfully unaware of the assemblage of Agarthans surrounding her. As she saw her now, Bernadetta's mother bore the same shade of purple hair she knew from before her debilitating disease kicked in, and what's more, there appeared to be a large bump protruding from underneath the blanket where her stomach would be._

_"You know that's not her name, snake." the count sternly reminded with a look of utter contempt. "What need does my wife have for your incessant meddling in the first place? With all due respect, Lady Cornelia, we've faced zero complications with her pregnancy thus far, and we'd much prefer to keep it that way."_

_"We have no intention of bringing harm to your replacement wife, boy. On the contrary, we simply mean to introduce a... special gift to the young lady, as a means of augmenting your upcoming birth."_

_"Then I command you to cease this absurd procedure at once! This was not part of our agreement! I've done more than you've asked to uphold my end to the bargain-" Allocer began to protest in an uproar, only to be promptly silenced when Cornelia reached out her hand to stroke the bottom of his chin._

_"Hm hm hm. You would do well to know your place, child." the rose haired woman menacingly warned as she curled her fingers upward into the count's chin, allowing her long, pointed nails to dig into the nobleman's skin. "You of all people should know full well that your lofty position in life was only brought upon by **us**. And we can just as easily take everything away in one fell swoop." she continued, deliberately raking her fingers up the man's skin to draw even more blood from his person. "What's more... you're a complete and utter fool for believing you had the faintest chance of deceiving us."_

_"I've done nothing of the sort! You're in no position to be making threats over my family!" Allocer strongly warned as he forced the sinister woman's clawed hand off of his bleeding chin. "I've dedicated my entire life to building and restoring the Varley name, and I will not allow you serpents to jeopardize my efforts!"_

_"And you're in no position to be making demands over the people who hold your wife's life in their very hands." Cornelia severely warned, her gaze slowly shifting towards the slumbering Theresa with a look of utter malice._

_"You wouldn't-"_

_"Do you truly wish to test us?" the Gremory mockingly challenged as Allocer's vehement expression reluctantly turned into one of apologeticness. "That's better. But your little outburst requires due punishment in turn. I shall henceforth add a slight addendum to our deal: I demand 1,000 new subjects for our experiments by the end of the Ethereal Moon."_

_"Excuse me?! I've already far surpassed your previous demands! What need could you possibly have for any more subjects?!" _

_"The pursuit of evolution is an unending struggle, Allocer... while we're at it, I may as well increase that number to 2,000." _

_"You twisted, conniving, black-hearted who-"_

_"Ah, ah, ah. I don't think it would be in your best interest to disturb your wife's slumber gith now." Cornelia amusingly warned, wagging her finger back and forth as if she were disciplining a naughty child. "Something tells me she would be less than pleased to find that you've been deceiving her as well. And for such a selfish cause too."_

_Realizing he had little hope of coming out on top of a battle of wits with Cornelia, Allocer hesitantly relented and directed one last, longing look towards the slumbering figure of his spouse. "So long as no harm comes to Theresa, I shall do as you please... I don't want to lose another wife and child."_

_"Rest assured, the young lady is in the best hands she could possibly be in." the Gremory confidently claimed with a semi sincere bow of her head. "You shouldn't look so down, Count Allocer. For if the stars align, the child you bear may turn out to be the key to bringing light to our people, and all of F__ódlan."  
_

_Without any further words, the Varley noble dismissed Cornelia's detailed premonition with an apathetic wave of his hand and a disbelieving grunt before he departed the room, begrudgingly leaving his wife to the devices of her fellow Agarthans. Whether or not the Gremory's words held true, Allocer could not help but feel a great sense of disdain towards the thought of the tainted child that was sure to come as a result of the underground dweller's machinations as he set out to further cover the tracks he'd irreversibly stained on his road to prestige. _

* * *

"O-ow..." Bernadetta instinctively rubbed the bottom of her chin in discomfort the moment the dream ended, still feeling the effects of Cornelia's clawed hand raking against her father's face.

_**"This is truly insane..."** _the voice of Sothis grimly commented in response to the revealing dream she and her host had just witnessed. _**"I had suspected that your father had been involved in any number of corrupt dealings, but to think that he had sold his very soul to the arch enemies of the very church he swore to serve for personal gain..."**_

_"Somehow I'm not overly surprised..."_ Bernadetta bitterly remarked as her gaze began to wander across the decrepit room surrounding her. The difference in its condition between now and the time before her birth was like night and day, to say the least. _"Sothis... do you have any idea who that Lady Cornelia was supposed to be? I swear I've heard her name somewhere before, but I don't remember running into her at any point during the war..."_

_**"I'm afraid I may be just as mystified as you are. What I'm more concerned about is what that woman and her entourage of mages did to your clearly pregnant mother... the implications are truly vast, and unsettling." **_

_"Then I'll have to find out more about her... she clearly has a deep connection with not only Count Varley's wrongdoings, but my own birth as well..." _the newly experienced seeress confidently concluded as she hurriedly marched towards the door leading out of the cramped space she'd confined herself in, showing no interest in waiting for Lilith to prod her with another mocking lecture. However, she only managed to walk about halfway towards the exit before nearly collapsing to the floor in an exhausted heap, only barely managing to steady herself on her knees at the last possible second.

_**"Ah... Bernadetta... what is this feeling...?"**_

_"You feel it too, Sothis? I don't know... I just feel so tired all of a sudden."_ Bernadetta weakly panted in response, no doubt just as dazed as her heavenly companion was in this situation.

_"Ah yes, I seem to have neglected to inform you of a vital detail..."_

_"I'm not going to like what I'm about to hear, am I?"_ the violet haired noble snarkily asked, mentally bracing herself for the poor news the witch was about to deliver.

_"Rest assured, this is merely a side effect of your inexperience as a seeress, but it bears apprising you of the situation. Each vision you witness can potentially inflict great physical and mental debilitation upon you, which only grows in risk with each subsequent vision you see in quick succession. Granted, your mental fortitude for this sort of thing is far greater than most prior candidates, who struggle to sit through even a single session, but even you have your limits."_

_"You seriously didn't think to tell me this until now...?" _

_"Consider this a valuable learning experience for the future to come. You still have much work ahead of you, but for your sake, I would recommend experiencing no more than three visions every day throughout your daily activities."_

If Bernadetta could see Lilith in person right now, the latter would likely be giving an amused shrug in response to her visible misery. With a dismayed sigh, the anxiety ridden girl struggled to lift herself up to her feet and proceeded to clumsily hobble towards the door, only scarcely managing to reach her intended destination before weakly crumpling against a nearby wall.

_"Gah... this is impossible... how am I even supposed to get back to my room like this? Maybe I should-" _

**_"No. If you were to jump back in time now, that would surely alert Byleth that something is horribly wrong with you. I know you don't want to worry him any more than you already have." _**Sothis was quick to veto her host's decisions, much to their mutual dismay.

_"Ah... what kind of mess have I gotten myself into...?"_

Just then, when all hope seemed lost, an unlikely ray of light shined down upon Bernadetta when a particular house leader suddenly peaked his head in through the door.

"Oh, there you are Bernie. I couldn't help but overhear you scrambling around in here while I was passing by." Claude lightly greeted with a casual wave of his hand as the battered state of the barren space he stared into quickly took up his attention. "Man, I've gotta say... this place clearly looks like it's seen better days."

"That's putting it lightly..."

"So what exactly brings you all the way out here, anyway? This doesn't look like the kind of place I'd expect to catch you hanging around in."

"Ah, well you know. I was just, er... reminiscing over the past, you know?" Bernadetta awkwardly scurried to make up an answer, visibly gawking under her house leader's seemingly knowing smile. _"Oh no... he hasn't been looking for me all this time, has he? Or maybe By left him around to watch my back while he's away... ooh, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad...!"_

**_"Settle down, please. You'll only give yourself away if you keep panicking in front of him like that." _**Sothis sternly warned as the Golden Deer leader raised an inquisitive hand to his chin.

"Really now? Mm, you don't look much better yourself. Your face is turning seriously pale right now."

"Oh, uh, it is? I can't believe I didn't notice that...! I guess I'd better get some rest before this turns into something serious!"

"Hey, easy now!" Claude was quick to latch onto his fellow student before she could mount a sudden escape. "You wouldn't want to break something on the way back. Besides, weren't you supposed to be taking it easy instead of snooping around unattended?"

"Ah ha... maybe. Please don't tell the professor I was here." Bernadetta nervously pleaded with an awkward chuckle, prompting a similarly amused laugh from her fellow archer in turn.

"Relax, I'm no snitch. Here, I'll even help you get back to your room, free of charge."

"Oh, uh, thanks. I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth." the physically drained recluse graciously took up Claude's offer, allowing him to throw her arm over his shoulder as the two students began the long trek to the opposite side of the manor.

"It's no problem at all. This is what friends are for, right? Besides, Teach'll probably throw a fit if he finds out anything bad happened to you while he was gone."

_"Yeah, I know that feeling pretty well myself..."_ Bernadetta thought to herself as she slowly trudged through the empty halls of the manor. "So, uh... how goes the investigation on your end? Did you find out anything interesting?"

"I'd imagine we didn't come across anything you haven't learned already. Every person I've met along the way seemed to have nothing but bad things to say about this plague, your father, and... well, especially you." Claude informed after a small delay, prompting his lilac haired classmate to hang her head down with a hurt, yet largely nonplussed expression.

"I guess I should have seen that coming..."

"You know, I do have one bit of news I bet you'd be happy to hear: your old man actually left the manor on a private expedition earlier this morning."

"Wait, really?" Bernadetta's eyes slightly lit up at the revelation. "He almost never left home for as long as I can remember, at least not unless he had anything super important to take care of. "

"Well, the good Count did try to keep his departure under the rug, but with _my_ expert peeping, I've found that he intends to meet with an important official all the way out in Faerghus of all places. From what I've heard, this mystery figure apparently played a large role in ending a similar epidemic that broke out in the Kingdom. With any luck, we might be out of here by the end of the week."

"Wow. That already feels like a large weight off my shoulders... Can you tell me anything else about this... plague doctor?"

"I'm afraid that's where my trail of information ends for now, but I'm sure we'll find out for ourselves in due time." the Golden deer leader nonchalantly admitted as his expression suddenly took a more troubling turn. "But you know, I just can't stop thinking about those nasty rumors I kept hearing while I was out on the field yesterday. I can't exactly claim to know much about your dad aside from the obvious, but it's pretty obvious to me that none of those folks knew anything about you as a person."

"Yeah, well I'm kind of used to people seeing me as a reclusive freak..." Bernadetta self depreciatingly admitted, leading to a short period of awkward silence between the two students as they continued t march down the halls.

"...You know, this whole situation reminds me of a story about an old friend I used to know. Would you like to hear it?"

"I- if you want." the tired Varley quietly responded, unsure what to make of her house leader's sudden offer.

"Alright, so there was this young boy who grew up in a faraway place. He looked and acted about as normal as any other person he knew, but there was just one underlying problem he had to face: he carried the bloodlines of two lineages that absolutely despised each other inside him."

"O- oh, I see..." Bernadetta's eyes widened in surprise as she picked up on Claude's underlying intentions. Truth be told, she had already heard snippets of the man's backstory from Byleth back in her original time, but as it stood now, this only served to make the girl fearfully question how much her fellow classmate may have discovered over the past few days.

"As you can imagine, the people around him came to hate his guts just for existing. It's said that his ancestors were responsible for some seriously nasty crimes in the past, but the boy himself had nothing to do with any of that."

_"...I understand the sentiment, Claude, but I somehow doubt the Almyrans were responsible for threatening to wipe out all life on Fódlan on several occasions. There's a world's worth of separation between our situations."_ Bernadetta silently criticized, wisely choosing to keep her thoughts to herself as the half Almyran continued his tale.

"The constant abuse he received from others eventually got so bad, he fled his home to get away from it all, only to find that things weren't much different in his new home either."

...

"But do you wanna know what's kept him going for so long? He came to realize that these different groups of people weren't as... well, different as he was lead to believe. He met people that cared for and believed in him just like any regular person."

"How nice... that sounds like a genuinely moving tale..." Bernadetta halfheartedly agreed with her fellow classmate's message, if only so she could avoid rousing any more suspicion from him.

"I understand if you've got some secrets you want to keep to yourself; everybody does. But just remember that you don't have to be ashamed of your own background It's okay to be proud of what sets you apart from others. It's not like you're just some carbon copy of either your parents, right?" Claude firmly concluded, sounding suspiciously as if he had already told this story before.

"...Thanks, Claude. I'm actually kind of flattered to see that you believe in me this much."

"Well, why wouldn't I? And no, it's not just because I'm trying to get in good favor with Teach's favorite student." the yellow clad student jokingly denied, eliciting a genuine fit of laughter from his fellow half breed.

"Hey, I don't know if I'd go that far now..."

"After seeing the protective way Teach always steals glances towards you? I think I'm pretty confident in my assessment here." Claude heartily teased with a knowing wink.

Now thoroughly flustered, Bernadetta proceeded to keep silent for the remainder of the trek back to her room, all the while pondering over what her next course of action would be, now that she was armed with the proper knowledge of her own past.


End file.
